Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons began their search for a new "president of football" alongside their search for a new head coach and general manager, with interviews already underway. Kevin Knight breaks down the top candidates for each position, along with potential timelines for the hires at all three spots. Also some offseason talk, including the adjustment to Kirk Cousins contract and what it means for Atlanta's QB room in 2026. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!

Pearce has been under a microscope since April, with the initial reaction to the trade that brought him in being that the former Tennessee standout wasn't worth the price. Pearce responded by leading all rookies in sacks with 10.5 and became the first rookie since Micah Parsons to crack double digits. Pearce was also one of 15 players in the entire league to cross that mark.

The Falcons feel like they have candidates pretty well locked in for their president of football and general manager openings, given that Matt Ryan is the widely reported favorite for the former and Ian Cunningham is the sole candidate set to be interviewed for the latter. Head coach feels a bit more wide open, and the Falcons just added an intriguing candidate to the mix.

The Falcons have another candidate for their newly-created president of football operations role: Panthers executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis. Tilis is set to interview for the role, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, though ex-Falcons quarterback appears to be a frontrunner for the position. Atlanta is nonetheless obligated to interview other candidates, who may also emerge as figures in their search for a new general manager.

Cunningham was the first name we heard linked to the opening after it became clear the team would fire GM Terry Fontenot, which they did after their final game of the season on Sunday. Cunningham works closely with Bears GM Ryan Poles, who was college teammates with former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, a widely reported candidate for Atlanta's new president of football position.

Apparently, I needn't have worried that the Falcons were going to let the last few weeks of the season influence whether they kept Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot. Per NFL insiders Ollie Connolly and Josina Anderson, who in my experience has been pretty accurate in their reporting, Atlanta has "had feelers" out to potential candidates for weeks now and were going to fire both Morris and Fontenot regardless of the season's end result.

This has been one of the most frustrating Atlanta Falcons seasons in recent memory. Not because the lows were shocking, but because the highs kept pulling you back in. It feels like a long road to get here, full of false starts, brief surges of hope, and the familiar realization that this team was never quite ready to take control of its own story.

The Falcons sprinted out to a 21-0 halftime lead over the Rams only to blow it in the second half, before ultimately winning on a late field goal 27-24. Despite the win, the same old errors and sloppy play continued to appear throughout the night, making the game an excellent microcosm of Atlanta's 2025 issues. Kevin Knight and Allen Strk break it all down. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!

While last week's win over Tampa Bay was not Bryant's first action of the season, it was his most extensive action to date. He was forced to fill in for injured starting cornerback Mike Hughes, who has already been ruled out against the Cardinals. Stepping into the role as a starter, Bryant was repeatedly targeted by Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The Falcons trailed 28-14, committed a franchise record 19 penalties, and...defeated the Buccaneers 29-28 as time expired. Kevin Knight and Tre'Shon Diaz break down one of the strangest and most unlikely victories in Falcons history, discuss why this result doesn't change anything for Raheem Morris and Co., and enjoy some phenomenal performances from Kyle Pitts, Bijan Robinson, Kirk Cousins, and James Pearce Jr. Fellow Falcoholics, welcome to another episode of The Falcoholic Live!

Was the performance lackluster? For sure. Is this yet another low point in a season full of them? Absolutely. Will we continue to watch this slop? That's up to you. The Benz looked quite empty, and after this performance, I don't see anyone rushing to see this team on a short week against Tampa Bay.

This Atlanta Falcons team had everything to play for-a small chance to climb the ladder in the NFC South, pride, their coaching staff, one another, and even not handing a top ten pick to the Rams in 2026-and they simply weren't good enough to beat a Jets team that entered the day at 2-9. The list of failures was long, but what's most remarkable is how many times the Falcons could have simply won this one outright against a Jets team

You've got your one leg, two legs, three legs, four legs, five legs, six legs of turkey. You've got your green bean casserole, your mac and cheese, your mashed potatoes, and your cranberry sauce that plops from the can. You've got pies you've ready to die fighting to get an extra slice of. You're ready for Thanksgiving, and you're ready for football.

It didn't take long for the rookies to make their mark in Atlanta. On Sunday night in a daunting environment in Minnesota, all four rookies who are either starting or playing significant snaps made a notable impact. Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. earned their first sacks. Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman Jr. produced their first interceptions. It was a gratifying night for a front office that has endured its share of misses and losses.