Following an 0-5 start in 2020, the Atlanta Falcons fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff after 12 and a half seasons. While there are plenty of interesting potential candidates for the Falcons to consider, Dimitroff is drawing some interest of his own.
On Thursday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the Detroit Lions, who recently fired GM Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia, plan to interview Dimitroff next week.
The #Lions plan to interview former #Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff next week for their GM job, per sources.
Dimitroff, 54, is a two-time NFL Executive of the Year. He built the ATL team that reached the Super Bowl four years ago and was part of two championships in New England.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 17, 2020
Atlanta’s former GM drew criticism for neglecting the salary cap and creating a situation where the team routinely needed to ask players like WR Julio Jones and QB Matt Ryan to restructure their contracts in order to make space for incoming draft picks and free agents.
Dimitroff had some great moments, too. His moves helped the Falcons reach a Super Bowl in 2016. Some of the better ones include signing OL Alex Mack and WR Mohamed Sanu as free agents, along with drafting DT Grady Jarrett and LB Foye Oluokun.
There’s certainly upside to a Dimitroff hire that a team like the Lions, who’ve never reached the Super Bowl, would see as beneficial. And as much as Dimitroff compounded the Falcons’ salary cap situation by kicking the can down the road, there was only so much he could do while keeping Ryan and Jones in Atlanta.
Detroit has also shown interest in Louis Riddick, the ESPN analyst and former Eagles scouting director.
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