Tag: Terry Fontenot

Albert Breer: Kirk Cousins didn’t re-sign due to drafting of quarterback

Kirk Cousins is now in Atlanta after signing their in March. Turns out the reason he didn’t resign with the Vikings is a familiar one.

The Minnesota Vikings and their former franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins went their separate ways this offseason. Cousins went to the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings went on their way to drafting their new franchise quarterback.

The latter reportedly drove Cousins away from the franchise, only for him to walk into the same situation.

Albert Breer of the Monday Morning Quarterback wrote on Monday that the Vikings made it clear that they were drafting a quarterback to Kirk Cousins. That plan of theirs is what drove the former Viking to head to the Atlanta Falcons to avoid a highly drafted rookie quarterback being under him.

Of course, the Falcons ironically drafted Michael Penix Jr.’s eighth overall in April’s draft.

What this speaks to both Cousins and the Vikings is clear, they couldn’t afford to be handcuffed to the veteran quarterback, especially after the injury. That same thought has to be the same in Atlanta but it is telling to how Minnesota is doing with this roster.

Breer added that Cousins is likely “stinging” from the move by the Falcons. The Vikings being upfront with him showed they are willing to do business right, and that type of reputation helps matters when acquiring players via trade or free agency.

Touchdown Wire grades the Saints’ rookie class best in the NFC South

Touchdown Wire graded the Saints’ rookie class best in the NFC South. It’s been a minute since the Saints’ picks were this widely approved:

It’s been quite some time since thee New Orleans Saints had an NFL draft class as universally approved as their 2024 haul, but rave reviews keep pouring in.

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar handed out draft grades for all 32 teams once the final pick came in on Saturday night. And it’s the New Orleans Saints sitting on top of the NFC South, with an A-minus. Here’s why Farrar is so high on their selections:

We always love drafts in which prospects go later than we think they should, and the Saints have three guys who fit that bill. Kool-Aid McKinstry gives Dennis Allen and his staff all kinds of options with Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo. And there is no way Spencer Rattler should have lasted until the fifth round. Ignoring the fact that Rattler was good behind the NCAA’s worst offensive line, and with one functional receiver in Xavier Legette, and overcooking Rattler’s maturity issues from half a decade ago, proves that sometimes, football guys don’t know football.

I also love the addition of Bub Means as a speed receiver. Each of those guys should have gone a round earlier than they did, and in Rattler’s case, you can double or triple that.

As to the first overall pick, Taliese Fuaga is an ideal ass-kicking tackle who will start right away. Ryan Ramczyk might miss the entire 2024 season due to injury, and Trevor Penning is… well, Trevor Penning.

We’re guessing the slight trade up to get McKinstry (swapping two late-round picks to move up four slots in Round 2) kept the Saints from getting a clean A or A-plus. But as for the rest of the division? Farrar graded the Carolina Panthers with a solid B for adequately surrounding Bryce Young with better weapons, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slightly behind with a B-minus after spending their top pick on a center.

And the Falcons, well. They were graded worst in the NFC South with a D after wasting their first pick on a backup quarterback and using their next selection to trade up for a project defensive tackle. Let’s just say former Saints executive and current Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot is doing a lot to help his old team.

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WATCH: Falcons head coach, GM hold post-draft press conference

WATCH: Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, GM Terry Fontenot hold post-draft press conference

The Atlanta Falcons closed out their 2024 NFL draft class by making three picks in the sixth round. After using all eight draft picks, the team can now look ahead to undrafted free agency.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot are currently holding a post-draft press conference to discuss their 2024 class. Watch live, as shared by the team’s YouTube channel below:

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WATCH: Falcons GM, head coach discuss Day 1 of 2024 draft

Watch: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris talk to media following Day 1 of 2024 NFL draft

The Atlanta Falcons have a knack for riling up their fans and they didn’t disappoint on Day 1 of the 2024 NFL draft. It’s not an exaggeration to say the Falcons made by far the most surprising pick of the entire first round when they drafted Washington quarterback Michael Penix with the No. 8 pick.

However, the surprise is mostly due to the team’s recent acquisition of free agent Kirk Cousins. Most draft analysts predicted Penix to go in the first half of Round 1, just not to the Falcons.

General manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris explained their vision for Penix to the media following Day 1 of the 2024 NFL draft. Watch below, as shared by the team’s YouTube channel:

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WATCH: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot holds pre-draft press conference

WATCH: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot is holding a pre-draft press conference

Despite speculation that the Atlanta Falcons would have to forfeit draft picks, the NFL will reportedly wait until after the 2024 NFL draft to punish the team for tampering allegations. That means the Falcons get to keep all eight of their picks, including the No. 8 overall pick.

While we still don’t know which direction the team will go this year, Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the 2024 draft. Watch Fontenot’s full press conference below, as shared by the team’s YouTube channel:

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Falcons GM says Raheem Morris is the ‘right fit for our team, culture’

“Raheem is the right fit for our team, culture, and shared vision for success in Atlanta,” said Falcons GM Terry Fontenot

As the Atlanta Falcons worked their way through an exhaustive coaching search, many wondered what the role of general manager Terry Fontenot would be going forward. Well, the team hired Raheem Morris as head coach on Thursday and it sounds like Fontenot will resume normal GM duties.

Falcons CEO Rich McKay will no longer be involved in football operations and Morris will report directly to Fonetnot, the team announced on Thursday night. Fontenot, who was not a part of the team’s coaching search press conference, praised the Morris hire.

“Raheem is the right fit for our team, culture, and shared vision for success in Atlanta, and I cannot wait to start working with him and have his energy in our building,” said Fontenot on the prospect of working with Morris.

Morris is no stranger to the Falcons organization. He spent six years in Atlanta from 2015-2020 coaching alongside Dan Quinn and Kyle Shanahan before taking over as the interim coach when Quinn was fired in 2020.

The Falcons interviewed Morris for their head coach opening at the end of the 2020 season, but they ultimately went with Arthur Smith. Morris then went to the Los Angeles Rams and served three seasons as the defensive coordinator.

The Rams won the Super Bowl in 2021 with Morris calling the defense and then returned to the playoffs in 2023.

Falcons preparing for a second interview with Bill Belichick

Could Bill Belichick be headed for the NFC South? The Falcons are preparing for a second interview with the longtime Patriots coach:

Could Bill Belichick be headed for the NFC South? The Atlanta Falcons are preparing for a second interview with the longtime New England Patriots head coach, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who adds that Belichick met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank one-on-one and that “things are ramping up” in discussions between the two parties.

The New Orleans Saints beat the snot out of Tom Brady for several years to close out his career. Maybe they’ll get a chance at taking on another Patriots legend in Belichick twice a season, too, after beating his team 34-0 early in the 2023 campaign.

How the organization would shake out with Belichick at the top is curious. It might not mean anything good for Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot, the former Saints pro scouting director, if Belichick wants the same control over personnel. Fontenot has built a strong roster on both sides of the ball but he hasn’t found a quarterback who can lead them. If Belichick gets that right, Atlanta could continue to challenge New Orleans for years to come.

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Falcons GM Terry Fontenot ranked Tier 3 by Pro Football Focus

Falcons GM Terry Fontenot ranked 3rd tier by Pro Football Focus

The Atlanta Falcons took an unconventional approach to hiring a new general manager and head coach back in 2021. Usually, teams will hire a GM first and allow that person to pick a head coach.

However, the Falcons hired head coach Arthur Smith a few days before bringing general manager Terry Fontenot aboard. Smith and Fontenot have found a way to work together but the long-term direction of the team feels somewhat unclear.

The Falcons have done some good work under Fontenot, particularly with the salary cap. Back in 2021, the team was riddled with bloated contracts of players who were no longer producing. Fontenot traded away Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Deion Jones and Calvin Ridley in his first two offseasons.

These moves created enough cap space to add players like Jessie Bates, Calais Campbell and Kaden Elliss over the 2023 offseason. So where does the Falcons GM rank in Pro Football Focus’ general manager rankings?

PFF’s Brad Spielberger placed each GM into one of three tiers and Fontenot landed in Tier 3:

Early in his tenure, Fontenot showed signs of a different thought process than the one in New Orleans, where he cut his teeth in the NFL, with a sharp trade down from the No. 35 overall pick in 2021 to land safety Richie Grant and center Drew Dalman with pick No.’s 40 and 114.

Fontenot utilized his Saints connections this offseason to add a solid defensive coordinator in Ryan Nielsen and key defensive contributors in interior defender David Onyemata and linebacker Kaden Elliss.

However, this team has a clearly limited ceiling, which was very foreseeable after their offseason. The defense is the 10th-oldest in the league by average age, so while it has been great to see marked improvement, the odds are that they’ll need significant reinforcements before the overall roster is competitive. — Brad Spielberger, PFF

After a 2-0 start to the season, it looked like the Falcons were turning things around. The team would go on to lose six of its next eight games, though, and the future suddenly doesn’t look as bright.

PFF highlighted that the team has spent a lot of money on what many consider to be non-premium positions.

Atlanta has allocated a lot of draft capital and money to non-premium positions, making it harder to get out of the middle of the pack going forward as they build around top-five contracts at guard and safety.

The Falcons have little talent to speak of at edge rusher and are without a long-term answer at quarterback despite drafting in the top eight for three straight years. — Brad Spielberger, PFF

At 4-6, the Falcons are currently on track to land the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 draft. That would be the team’s fourth year in a row with a top-10 draft pick.

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WATCH: Falcons hold pre-draft press conference

Watch as #Falcons GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith hold their pre-draft press conference

Watch as Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Arthur Smith hold their 2023 pre-draft press conference, as shared by the team’s Twitter account above.

Check back for coverage after today’s presser and make sure to read our final seven-round Falcons mock draft!

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The Atlanta Falcons keep meeting with first-round QBs

Could the Falcons be a surprise player in the market for the QBs in the 2023 draft?

The Atlanta Falcons hold the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Projections for what Falcons GM Terry Fontenot will do with that pick have been all over the positional map, from offensive tackle to cornerback and nearly everywhere in between.

One possibility that hasn’t been projected often is for the Falcons to select a quarterback at No. 8. Yet the team is wrapping up its 30 prospect visits by meeting with Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud. He’s the third prominent quarterback to visit with the Falcons recently, along with Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Will Levis from Kentucky.

Atlanta drafted Desmond Ridder in the third round a year ago and added Taylor Heinicke in the offseason as a free agent. Ridder started the Falcons’ final four games in 2022 and did not play poorly, but also didn’t cement himself as the team’s long-term starter.

It’s important to not read too much into which prospects a team visits with, but it doe raise an eyebrow for the Falcons to be kicking the tires on the top quarterbacks. Whether it’s interest on their own behalf or just trying to drum up trade potential, Fontenot and the Falcons are adding more layers of uncertainty within the top 10.