Tag: Falcons GM search

Report: Falcons GM search down to two candidates

The search for the next general manager of the Atlanta Falcons has been extensive over a short period of time.

The search for the next general manager of the Atlanta Falcons has been extensive over a short period of time. After interviewing numerous candidates, the team has narrowed its search down to two finalists.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz on Tuesday, the Falcons are closing in on Terry Fontenot, the vice president/assistant GM of the New Orleans Saints, and Brad Holmes, the director of college scouting for the Los Angeles Rams, for their GM opening.

Atlanta has yet to officially confirm this report, however, beat reporter Kelsey Conway covered it for the team’s official website. Conway’s story, which was retweeted by Falcons’ Twitter account, doesn’t mean they have ruled out all other candidates.

On the flip side, it’s hard to imagine the team’s official website reporting on a story if it was just reckless speculation. If this report is true, it would mean that the Falcons have eliminated former Houston Texans general manager Rick Smith from the running.

The team completed a second interview with Holmes over the weekend, and met with two head-coaching candidates — Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — on Monday.

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Report: Falcons to interview Saints VP Terry Fontenot for GM

Fontenot played a key role in landing some big-time free agents, including LB Demario Davis, OL Larry Warford, TE Jared Cook and WR Emmanuel Sanders.

Following Monday’s report that the Atlanta Falcons were considering Louis Riddick, the former Eagles director of pro personnel and current ESPN NFL analyst, for their vacant general manager position, another name emerged on Tuesday.

As reported by D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, New Orleans Saints vice president/assistant general manager, Terry Fontenot, will be interviewed by the Falcons.

Fontenot has spent nearly two decades with the Saints and held many titles within the organization. Most notably, he spent 13 years in the scouting department — seven years as a pro scout and then six years overseeing the pro-scouting department. Here’s an excerpt from a NewOrleansSaints.com feature on Fontenot:

Fontenot has held multiple positions in the scouting department, including as a pro scouting assistant – where he helped evaluate free agents, track player movement, studied film and aided in the planning for the NFL Draft – and as an assistant in player personnel.

Fontenot played a key role in landing some big-time free agents, including LB Demario Davis, OL Larry Warford, TE Jared Cook and WR Emmanuel Sanders. That success ultimately led to Fontenot’s promotion to his current vice president/assistant general manager role in August of 2020.

Fontenot spent his college days locally at Tulane University (1999-2002) and a team captain in 2001. Fontenot joined the Saints organization as a marketing intern after his football days ended at Tulane.

Off the field, Fontenot was selected by New Orleans to attend the “Stanford Business School’s Executive Education NFL-Stanford Program for Managers.” Being selected to attend this program is highly regarded around the league and a sign of a promising general manager.

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