Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot ranked No. 24 in NFL
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Atlanta Falcons GM Terry Fontenot ranked No. 24 in NFL
Terry Fontenot, the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons, has taken his share of criticism over the years. One report even says that former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick thinks Fontenot is arrogant.
Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports recently ranked all NFL general managers (or at least the people in charge of personnel decisions, even if hey don’t have that specific title). He puts Fontenot at No. 24 in the league, which is far from a compliment.
“It’s always Terry Fontenot time,” Daugherty writes. “Except for when it’s not, which is also always. Fontenot shoots his draft shot more than anyone else in modern football. Whereas the draft day galaxy brain used to be a hallmark of a league that preferred its decision-making to come from the gut, the process has become staid and analytical over the past decade or two.
“Not in Atlanta. Fontenot’s latest gambit was surrendering a future first-round pick to trade back in to … No. 26. For a non-quarterback. To select a player with well-documented “character concerns.” Bold, and distinctly Fontenot-ian.”
Daugherty is of course referring to Atlanta’s decision to move back up into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft to select University of Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce, Jr.
Fontenot’s risky moves haven’t paid off
It’s not just Fontenot’s aggression during the draft that has Daughtery bumping him down the list. He’s made other questionable decisions like signing quarterback Kirk Cousins to a big contract with a no-trade clause, bringing in head coach Arthur Smith in 2021 and taking a tight end (Kyle Pitts) higher in the draft than anyone else since 1957.
“As much as I would like to celebrate such dice-rolling in an increasingly risk-averse league, Fontenot’s big swings haven’t produced big win totals,” Daugherty writes. “29 victories and zero winning seasons in four years, in fact. If you are going to cut against the grain, you better show the conventional wisdom wasn’t working. Fontenot’s curveballs keep rolling harmlessly to the backstop. Kyle Pitts didn’t work. Arthur Smith didn’t work. Kirk Cousins didn’t work.”
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons before the 2024 season. That’s fine, but Fontenot turned around and took quarterback Michael Penix with the eighth-overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, they have Penix going into the season as the starter and they are having a tough time trading Cousins.
Is Fontenot on the hot seat?
Fontenot has been very aggressive since being named the team’s general manager in January of 2021. This will be his fifth season in this role and his decisions need to start bearing fruit.
“At least so far, hiring Raheem Morris over Bill Belichick hasn’t worked,” Daugherty concludes. “Michael Penix and James Pearce are Fontenot’s last stand. Fontenot has kept it lively. Now he needs one of his wild team-building theories to actually work.”
There were many rumors that all but had Belichick becoming the next Falcons’ head coach, but it didn’t work out for whatever reason. Between that and taking Penix (after signing Cousins to a big deal), Fontenot’s future is most likely directly tied to the success of the coach and quarterback. Then again, that can probably be said of most NFL general managers.