In order to achieve that kind of quality, the new president of football — not football operations, as Blank was sure to specify Thursday — must land a coach-general manager pairing that can provide Atlanta with stability and a clear path. They will do so with the help of two search firms that Blank has brought in: Sportsology will help with the GM search, while ZRG Partners will help with the coaching search.
With this new approach, Falcons fans may need to find some patience. They’ll likely also want answers as to why Blank decided to let go of Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot despite the team’s strong run through 2025.
Blank explained his reasoning Thursday.
“You evaluate a team throughout the season and in this case several years. It was my conclusion as the season went on that we couldn’t reach or didn’t reach the level that I thought this group was capable of,” he said. “It wasn’t for a lack of trying, it wasn’t for a lack of effort, it wasn’t for a lack of commitment. I have a lot of respect and affection for both Raheem, who I’ve known for 11 years, and Terry, who I’ve known for five years. The fact that the team won the last four games is a credit to the players, a credit to the coach and the coach at the end of the day. The level we’re capable of.
“It’s a saying I use a lot: Good is the enemy of great. I think we’re capable of reaching another level. So that’s why we made the decision.
“It wasn’t a light switch that turned on and off; it was kind of a gradual process over time. An incredible number of factors play into it.”
After watching the Falcons claim an early lead in the NFC South in 2024 and show progress to close out 2025, Blank believes his team isn’t too far away from returning to the postseason. However, he won’t just settle for flirting with controversy, either.
“I just concluded that I didn’t think these two gentlemen, as nice of people as they are, as much as I care about them personally and their families, etc., etc., that they were providing that type of leadership on the ground to take us to the next level,” Blank explained. “I felt that with the quality of the young players that we have on offense and defense, and some veterans who are great as well, that we needed to move forward both in terms of head coaching and general manager changes. A very tough decision. It’s a performance-driven league; every sport is, and certainly the NFL is no different. They understand that, and certainly I represent the fans.
“I’ve said this many times: I see myself as the guardian of the franchise for the fans. Where they’ve felt pain and anguish and frustration over the year, I’ve felt pain and frustration and anger over the year. It was a very deliberate, deliberate decision that took time to reach but I think was the right decision for us.”