ATLANTA — The Atlanta Falcons are shaking things up in the front office organizational structure after they announced the hire of new head coach Raheem Morris on Thursday.
In addition to the hiring of Morris, he and general manager Terry Fontenot will now report to Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank, the team announced in a press release.
This changes the previous structure of the Falcons organization in which ex-head coach Arthur Smith and Fontenot reported directly to AMB Sports and Entertainment and Falcons CEO Rich McKay.
McKay had been involved in the day-to-day football operations of the Falcons for the past 21 years, but will now be taking on a new endeavor as he will have direct oversight with Atlanta United.
“It is hard to quantify the positive things Rich has done to impact our organization over the last 21 years, laying a strong foundation for our football team and getting Mercedes-Benz Stadium built and functioning as one of the best in the world, chief among them,” Blank said. “While he’ll no longer be involved in day-to-day football operations, Rich’s role will broaden in our organization, and I’ll continue to trust him with some of the most important work we’re engaged in across the Blank Family of Businesses.”
McKay will remain the CEO of the Falcons and represent the team in league matters.
Morris is someone who is very familiar with the Falcons, having spent six seasons with Atlanta from 2015 to 2020 in several different coaching roles, including assistant head coach and passing game coordinator. Morris served as the interim head coach after the Falcons fired Dan Quinn in 2020 and went 4-7 as interim.
Morris becomes the 19th head coach -- including interims -- for the Falcons and the first Black head coach in franchise history.