Tag: Terry Fontenot

Falcons to sign Raiders starter, former Saints safety Erik Harris

The Athletic reports that the Atlanta Falcons will sign Las Vegas Raiders free agent Erik Harris, a former New Orleans Saints safety.

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The Athletic’s Vic Tafur reports that the Atlanta Falcons will sign Erik Harris, a safety who some Saints fans might remember. Harris made the jump from the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats (where he became a friend and teammate of former Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux) to the NFL, initially competing for snaps in New Orleans. He became a starter with the Las Vegas Raiders, and now he’s back in the NFC South — this time suiting up with the dirty birds.

And that shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Falcons have many holes on their defense, including safety, where Harris has shown he can help out and at least compete for the starting job. He’ll be joining former Saints personnel executive Terry Fontenot in Atlanta, too; Fontenot worked as director of pro scouting in the past and was a big part in bringing Harris to the NFL in the first place.

So while this doesn’t guarantee Harris will feature in any games with the Saints, there’s a good chance he gets on the field while Fontenot continues to rebuild the Falcons from the ground up. He’s working with few resources in either draft picks or salary cap room, so Harris could very well end up playing a key role in Atlanta. With two games scheduled against the Saints, it’s possible he gets in position to make a play against his old team.

NFL announces 2021 compensatory draft picks, Saints finally cash in

The New Orleans Saints received several 2021 NFL draft compensatory draft picks for previously losing Teddy Bridgewater and Terry Fontenot.

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Finally, the New Orleans Saints have caught their white whale. The NFL announced its list of 2021 compensatory draft picks on Wednesday, including the first comp picks the Saints will have received in the Sean Payton era. New Orleans’ typically-aggressive approach to free agency has kept them from elbowing into the comp pick formula since Payton was hired as head coach, but a more tempered strategy in 2020 has paid off.

Teddy Bridgewater left the Saints last summer for a big contract with the Carolina Panthers, which qualified for a third-round pick in this year’s draft (98 overall). The Saints also benefited from the league’s new minority hiring incentives policy, which rewards them for developing Terry Fontenot into the eventual Atlanta Falcons general manager by bring a pair of third rounders to New Orleans in 2021 (105 overall) and 2022 (to be determined). Additionally, the Saints received another comp pick for losing A.J. Klein to the Buffalo Bills — a sixth rounder (217 overall).

They need the help. The Saints were without a third round pick after trading it last year to help acquire Zack Baun. Their fifth rounder is expected to convey in the trade for Kwon Alexander, while their sixth round pick was traded to land Tommy Stevens. And the NFL forced New Orleans to forfeit its seventh rounder due to COVID-19 protocol violations. Getting these additional at-bat opportunities is key for bringing in more young talent on affordable rookie contracts.

Here’s the current slate of Saints draft picks in 2021:

  • Round 1, Pick 28
  • Round 2, Pick 60
  • Round 3, Pick 98 (compensatory)
  • Round 3, Pick 105 (compensatory)
  • Round 4, Pick 135
  • Round 6, Pick 217 (compensatory)

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Falcons GM Terry Fontenot: ‘We’re going to add to every position’

One of the first things Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot talked about when he took over was the importance of creating competition at each position.

One of the first things that Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot talked about when he took over was the importance of creating competition at each position. This kind of philosophy change is necessary as the team had grown complacent over the past few seasons under the previous regime.

Fontenot wants competitive players who aren’t afraid to go out and earn a spot. NFL Network’s Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche had the new Falcons GM on their Hustle & Flow podcast to discuss his vision for the team and how he plans to go about improving it.

“We are going to add to every position,” Fontenot said. “We’ll build strength. We’re not afraid to build strength. We’re going to add to every position. It’s about adding. We want to be a culture of competition, and Arthur Smith has said it. We want to bring in smart, tough, highly-competitive football players that are going to fit this culture. And we’re going to do that at every position, whether it’s quarterback, whether it’s receiver.”

Fontenot knows exactly what he wants the team to be and comes from a New Orleans Saints organization that has dominated an extremely tough NFC South in recent years. Watch Fontenot discuss what made him want to join the Saints’ biggest rival, as shared by Steve Wyche on Twitter below.

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Falcons name Dwaune Jones assistant director of college scouting

The Atlanta Falcons added a new assistant college scouting director, hiring Dwaune Jones on Monday to work under new general manager Terry Fontenot.

The Atlanta Falcons added a new assistant college scouting director, hiring Dwaune Jones on Monday to work under new general manager Terry Fontenot.

Jones previously served as a college scout for the Baltimore Ravens from 2017-2020. Prior to that, he worked in the New Orleans Saints’ scouting department for over a decade. Fontenot praised Smith’s drive for the game.

“Dwaune has an incredible drive and knowledge of our game fueled by his extensive experience in the field as a scout,” said Fontenot, per the team’s official website.

Once a highly-productive college receiver at Richmond, Jones signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns and Seattle Seahawks in 2000. He spent time on different practice squads before getting a shot in NFL Europe. Later, Jones served as a wide receivers coach for the Cologne Centurions in 2004.

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Falcons name Kyle Smith VP of player personnel

On Friday, the Atlanta Falcons named Kyle Smith as the new vice president of player personnel. 

On Friday, the Atlanta Falcons hired Kyle Smith as the new vice president of player personnel. Smith joins the team after spending the last decade working as a member of the Washington Football Team’s scouting department and front office.

In 2011, Smith joined Washington as a scout — a role he held for six seasons — before being promoted to the director of college personnel in 2017. After three years in that role, Washington named him the vice president of player personnel in 2020.

Smith, 36, was a wide receiver and punt returner at Youngstown State before spending time on multiple NFL practice squads. After failing to catch on with the Vikings and Buccaneers, Smith played for the NFL Europe League, the CFL and the AFL before becoming a scout.

Kyle is the son of A.J. Smith, who served as the general manager of the Chargers from 2003-2012.

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Terry Fontenot on sustained success: ‘You have to continue to evolve’

There are many different paths to success in the NFL, but sustained success is something reserved for the truly elite franchises.

There are many different paths to success in the NFL, but sustained success is something reserved for the truly elite franchises. During the Falcons’ search for a new general manager, team owner Arthur Blank made it a priority to find someone capable of creating sustainability.

Atlanta ultimately hired Terry Fontenot, the former New Orleans Saints vice president/assistant general manager of pro personnel, for the team’s GM vacancy. Fontenot is facing a great challenge in taking over a cash-strapped franchise that has missed the playoffs three years in a row. On the bright side, the Falcons still have some great pieces and a top-five draft selection in 2021.

In an interview posted on the team’s official website, Fontenot talked about some of the philosophies that he will try to incorporate in Atlanta, including evolution.

“You have to continue to evolve, said Fontenot. “You have your principals but you have to evolve. You have to have the mindset to always be looking to learn. You have to be inquisitive, whether you’re a GM or head coach or really a leader in any department in the building.”

Watch the full interview with Fontenot, as shared by the team’s Twitter account below.

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Report: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot trying to take Saints cap guru with him

The Athletic reports Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot has been recruiting his former New Orleans Saints coworker Khai Harley.

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So, this isn’t a great development. The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that the New Orleans Saints are competing with Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot for the right to keep one of their best-kept secrets in the building: Khai Harley.

Fontenot, of course, spent the last decade-plus climbing the ladder in New Orleans to become the team’s vice president of pro personnel and assistant general manager. That rise catapulted him into the G.M. chair in Atlanta, where he’s been working to recruit one of his former coworkers.

Harley, who owns the formal title of vice president of football administration, is the man behind the spreadsheets in New Orleans, the salary cap wizard who has navigated the team through all of its creative accounting: restructures, ghost years, and all. He’s been a pioneer of maneuvering the salary cap to keep the books in order for the Saints, allowing them to scoff at the dangers of “salary cap hell” every offseason.

While Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has gotten a lot of credit as the face of the front office, Harley’s behind-the-scenes work has made a lot of their bold decisions possible.

He’s maybe the most important cog in the Saints front office, doing the most to keep the Saints cap-compliant and competitive year in and year out. So it makes sense for the Saints to work hard to retain him, as Duncan added in his report. They could pull that off with a raise and a promotion (as they did to keep talented defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen in the building), but it’s just as possible Harley leaves for greener pastures. Keep an eye on this one.

Update: Duncan later reported that, for now, Harley is expected to remain with the Saints.

Terry Fontenot says the Falcons won’t ‘reach’ to address needs

Despite the quarterback position not being high on Atlanta’s list of needs, new Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot kept the possibility open to the team selecting a QB at pick No. 4.

One of the hottest debates among Falcons fans and league experts has been what the team should do with the fourth-overall selection in the 2021 draft. Despite the quarterback position not being high on Atlanta’s list of needs, new Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot kept the possibility alive during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.

“We never want to reach for needs, we want to stack the board, and we want to be consistent,” stated the new GM. ” It’s never a bad thing to add to a strength, you want to get good football players.”

Fontenot referenced Ozzie Newsome, the general manager of the Baltimore Ravens, as an example of where instead of reaching to address a specific hole on the roster, he would take the best player available. Sometimes Newsome’s picks would end up as Hall of Famers.

Fontenot knows it’s just as important for the team to find players in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft, along with undrafted free agents to create sustainable success. The Falcons have holes at the cornerback, running back and defensive end, but selecting any of these positions with the No. 4 pick would be considered a reach in this year’s draft class.

Another possibility would be to trade back and accumulate more picks. Atlanta has just 42 players on roster (11 are reserve players), so by trading down, the team could add depth at a cheaper price point than in free agency. Fontenot certainly has his work cut out for him this offseason.

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Falcons GM Terry Fontenot won’t be a prisoner of the moment

When the Falcons had their final press conference of the year, team owner Arthur Blank and president Rich McKay preached that Atlanta wanted sustainability.

When the Falcons had their final press conference of the 2020 season, team owner Arthur Blank and president Rich McKay preached that Atlanta needed to find a way to create sustainable success. The pair went on a quest to bring in a general manager that shared this vision and have succeeded with the hiring of Terry Fontenot.

At Tuesday afternoon’s introductory press conference, Fontenot strongly emphasized the concept of sustainability.

“We’re going to make decisions to have sustained success, we’re not going to be prisoners of the moment,” said Fontenot. “We’re not going to make decisions that help us in 2021 and hurt us in [2022 and 2023].”

With 42 players currently on a roster that is $32 million over the cap, you can expect a lot of roster movement to occur before the league year begins. However, Fontenot and Smith both stated that the assessment of the roster will be an extensive and lengthy process that could go deep into next season.

“I need to really drill down the details and do it along with Arthur Smith and once the coaches are in, we need to have extensive meetings with them and really look at this roster and really determine how we feel about each player on the roster,” Fontenot continued. “Where they are in their careers, what’s their plan for development, or what’s their plan for maintaining them.”

To really drive home the idea of sustainability, Atlanta may have to part ways with some fan-favorites in order to free up some much-needed cap space.

Both candidates are coming off of playoff appearances and have had little time to assess the Falcons’ current roster. The Titans were eliminated in the wild-card round over a week ago and the Saints were eliminated this past Sunday.

There’s a lot of work to be done in Atlanta, but the team’s new hires are up to the task.

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Could Atlanta be a possible landing spot for RB Mark Ingram?

Tight end Hayden Hurst, Ingram’s former teammate, floated the idea out there on Twitter.

It’s no secret that the Falcons are in dire need of a running game. This has been an area where the team has really struggled to find consistent production in recent years.

One potential option could be Mark Ingram, who was recently released by the Baltimore Ravens. Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst, Ingram’s former teammate, floated the idea out there on Twitter.

To make it even more interesting, Ingram played for the New Orleans Saints, the previous employer of Atlanta’s new general manager Terry Fontenot.

On the other hand, Ingram has been effective mostly in a committee approach on offense and hasn’t been used as a lead back since he was at Alabama. Not to mention, at 31 years old, his health going forward is a concern as well.

Ingram was drafted by the Saints in the first round back in 2011. Over his 10-year NFL career, he’s rushed for 7,324 yards and 62 touchdowns.

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