Arthur Blank's decision to clean house in Atlanta may have come as a surprise to those who watched the Falcons finish 2025 on a four-game winning streak.
The Falcons owner appreciated those triumphs but knows he's acting in the interest of long-term success. Such a process begins with filling a new role he's created with the hope of ensuring better outcomes over multiple years: president of football.
Hiring for the position is atop Blank's priority list as he attempts to place his club on the right track. Whoever takes the job -- Falcons legend Matt Ryan is among those being considered for the role, Blank confirmed during a Thursday press conference -- will be their new gridiron navigator "responsible for everything that relates to football and grass," Blank said.
They'll be greeted with quite a responsibility upon arrival: Select the new leadership duo in charge guiding the Falcons into the future.
"There can be too much weight on loyalty and not enough weight on performance and holding people accountable," Blank explained of the lessons he's learned as owner of the Falcons. "... (But) you have to be patient, too. ... Change for the sake of change is very penal in the NFL. You want to be thoughtful about it, not only on a personal level but because it can impact the team in a negative way.
"You'll find those organizations that have achieved in the NFL at a relatively high level, one of the things they have consistently is continuity. Not just with ownership but continuity at the head coach and general manager level. We're adding a third component to it now with the president of football which we think will add another level of quality and another level of emphasis and execution that we haven't had in the past."
In order to achieve such quality, the new president of football -- not football operations, which Blank made sure to specify Thursday -- must land on a coach and general manager pairing that can provide Atlanta with stability and a clear path. They'll do so with the assistance of two search firms enlisted by Blank: Sportsology will assist with the GM search, while ZRG Partners will assist in the coaching search.
With this new approach, Falcons fans might have to find some patience. They'll likely also want some answers for why Blank decided to move on from Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot despite the team's strong finish to 2025.
Blank explained his reasoning Thursday.
"You evaluate a team throughout the entire season and in this case, a couple of years. It was my conclusion as the season went on that we could not achieve or were not achieving at the level I thought this roster was capable of performing at," he said. "It wasn't for lack of trying, it wasn't for lack of effort, it wasn't for lack of commitment. I have great respect and affection both for 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 coaching staff. But at the end of the day, I didn't think that we achieved at the level we're capable of.
"It's an expression that I often use: Good is the enemy of great. I think we're capable of getting to another level. So that was the reason we made the decision.
"It was not a light switch went on and off; it was kind of a phased process over time. Awful lot of factors that go into it."
After watching the Falcons claim an early lead in the NFC South in 2024 and demonstrate progress to close 2025, Blank believes his team isn't too far from returning to the postseason. However, he won't merely accept flirtation with contention, either.
"I just concluded that I didn't think that those two gentlemen, as fine of people as they are, as much as I care about them personally and their families, et cetera, et cetera, that they were providing the kind of leadership at the level to get us to the next level," Blank explained. "I felt that given the quality of the young players we have on the offense and on defense, and some seasoned veterans that are excellent as well, that we needed to move forward both in terms of a change at head coach and general manager. Very tough decision. It's a performance driven league; all sports are, and certainly the NFL is no different in that. They understand that, and certainly I represent the fans.
"I've said this many times: I view myself as a custodian of the franchise for the fans. As they've felt pain and anguish and frustration during the year, I've felt pain and frustration and anger during the year myself. It was a very thoughtful, balanced decision that took time to reach but I think was the right decision for us."
While keeping an open mind, Blank made it clear he wouldn't mind exploring the possibility of making former Super Bowl-winning and recently fired coach John Harbaugh the new leader of the Falcons. Judging by Harbaugh's purported approach to his first free agency in nearly 20 years, their timelines might end up lining up nicely, too.
"John has been one of the most successful coaches of the last 20 years in our league. Has won at every level," Blank said. "So he'd certainly be a candidate we'd want to spend some time with. Whether or not he'd have an interest in Atlanta, I don't know. ... I'm sure we'll have him on our cycle, assuming he's willing to take an interview with us."
Such an interview could include a sit-down with Ryan, the longtime Falcons quarterback who has spent his last few years working in media and has no front office experience. The latter might not matter much to Blank, who emphasized the importance of leadership in Atlanta's hiring process and can look to Ryan's 14 years with the Falcons for proof of that skill.
"His EQ and IQ when it comes to football is extraordinarily high," Blank said of Ryan. "I've known Matt personally since 2008, and his family, and he's an outstanding individual, great community leader and kind of person we certainly would want to consider in that position."
Speaking of quarterback, the Falcons have some thinking to do regarding the position in 2026. Michael Penix Jr. is working his way back from an ACL injury suffered in November and still has the full faith and confidence of Blank that he can be their long-term solution under center. Veteran Kirk Cousins -- who piloted the Falcons to a 5-2 record as their starter following Penix's season-ending injury -- might not be able to count on such a solid outlook in Atlanta.
"We look forward to having Michael back," Blank said. "With Kirk, we will see what happens going forward."
Cousins demonstrated value as a veteran backup down the stretch and could fetch an intriguing offer in the trade market in the next few months. His fate will be yet another decision that lands on the plate of the next general manager, who along with the next coach will report to the president of football.
That's a few steps down the road. For now, Blank has made his intentions clear with the Falcons: Find a new leader and empower them to push the Falcons forward. Their future depends on it.