The Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Raheem Morris after a disappointing 8-9 season.
The franchise announced that news on Sunday evening, hours after they defeated to New Orleans Saints on the final day of the regular season. The Falcons finished in a 3-way tie with the Panthers and Bucs for first place in the NFC South, but will lose out on a postseason berth due to tiebreakers.
As a result, the Falcons have fired both Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot. Team owner Arthur Blank confirmed the decision in a statement.
“I have great personal affinity for both Raheem and Terry and appreciate their hard work and dedication to the Falcons, but I believe we need new leadership in these roles moving forward,” Blank said in a statement. “The decision to move away from people who represent the organization so well and have a shared commitment to the values that are important to the organization is not an easy one, but the results on the field have not met our expectations or those of our fans and leadership. I wish Raheem and Terry the absolute best in their future pursuits.”
Morris is the third NFL coach to be fired so far this season. The New York Giants and Tennessee Titans previously parted ways with their respective head coaches.
More coaches are expected to be fired in the coming days following the conclusion of the NFL’s regular season. It’s possible the NFL’s coaching carousel will have an impact on college football.
Per reports, one possibility to land an assistant coaching job in the NFL this cycle is out-going Ole Miss offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
