FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The 2024 season resulted in disappointment.
Disappointment for a fan base that expected more than just a one-win improvement after three 7-10 seasons. Disappointment for those in charge of making that happen.
Everyone is on the same page entering the offseason, including the two men tasked with changing the results of an 8-9 campaign for the Atlanta Falcons.
"A lot of people put a lot of work into this," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Thursday. "From the players, the coaches, the entire staff, everybody in the building, a lot of people put in a lot of work. When this is what the result is nobody is happy about that."
The question now becomes: What are they doing to do about it?
Atlanta's coaching staff and front office have already begun evaluating every part of their process. Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris are leading that approach, and this will be the first offseason they enter into together. Morris was hired as Falcons head coach in January of 2024, while Fontenot and his staff had already been in place.
After a season working with one another, they will now have the chance to start this roster-building period together from square one.
"We'll be together in this process," Morris said on Monday. "We'll be together over the next couple of weeks talking to our players, really setting expectations for what we want to be and some of those different things as we get a chance to connect with our whole team. Everything that we're going to do, we're going to do together, and we're right next to each other."
The Falcons' 2024 offseason was defined by the quarterback position. Atlanta signed Kirk Cousins as a free agent when the new league year began in March, and then used its No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft to select Michael Penix Jr.
The plan was to have Cousins bring immediate stability at the game's most important position to a franchise that had gone two seasons without it, while Penix was viewed as a high-caliber prospect who could become the team's future in that spot. When Cousins had an uncharacteristic regression midway through the year that he was unable to pull out of, the team pivoted to Penix. He proved to be a good insurance policy and showed flashes in his three starts of real potential to become the player Atlanta needs him to be.
Confident in what they have at quarterback, the Falcons enter their first offseason in a while with a level of consistency at the game's three key points – general manager, head coach and quarterback.
That leaves room to address the rest of the roster, but Fontenot and Morris may need to get creative to do that.
According to Over the Cap, Atlanta has just under $4 million in cap space entering the offseason, a figure that ranks 27th among the 32 teams. The Falcons' effective cap space, which is defined by the website as "the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster, is currently projected to be in the red.
Given the current financial landscape, and a relatively limited number of draft picks, the Falcons will need to be certain about the moves they make.
"We have a very collaborative staff," Fontenot said. "Raheem sets that tone in the right way, and I'm excited about attacking this offseason with Raheem and doing everything we can do to make whatever adjustments we need to make to get this team to where it needs to be."
Atlanta missed the playoffs by two games but entered the NFL's final weekend with a chance to win the NFC South for the first time since 2016 and reach the postseason for the first time since 2017. Once again, the Falcons were knocking on the door of achieving their goal.
But proximity to success has only increased the fan's desire to finally break through that barrier once again. After a run of unprecedented winning in the decade prior, highlighted by a trip to the Super Bowl in 2017, the Falcons are searching for their way back.
The tone struck by Morris and Fontenot after the season shows that the organization understands the fan's frustrations as well as they possibly could. Now, they have to do what it takes to assuage them.
"It's our job to get right into this offseason process and look at every aspect of everything that affects football," Fontenot said, "and make sure we're doing everything we can do this offseason to put us in position next year to win more football games."
Relive moments of Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson's greatness as he surpasses 1,000 rushing yards in a season for the first time in his career. On Monday, during the Week 15 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Robinson ran for 125 yards and finished the game with 1,102 yards so far in the 2024 season.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs with the ball during the Week 15 Game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, December 16, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7, Atlanta Falcons tackle Kaleb McGary #76, Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom #63, Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Drew Dalman #67, Atlanta Falcons offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron #65, Atlanta Falcons tackle Jake Matthews #70, Atlanta Falcons tight end Charlie Woerner #89, Atlanta Falcons offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, Atlanta Falcons offensive line assistant Shawn Flaherty and Atlanta Falcons running backs coach Michael Pitre after the Week 15 Game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, December 16, 2024. (Photo by Shanna Lockwood/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the fourth quarter of the Week 15 Game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, December 16, 2024. (Photo by Chris Unger/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs by a defender during the Week 1 Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 8, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 3 Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 22, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 stands during the anthem during the Week 2 Game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Monday, September 16, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the second half of the Week 6 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, October 13, 2024. (Photo by Joshua Lavallee/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs with the ball during the Week 3 Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, September 22, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the first half of the Week 5 Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, October 3, 2024. (Photo by Casey Sykes/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 7 Game against the Seattle Seahawks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, October 20, 2024. (Photo by Kevin Liles/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 celebrates after a touchdown during the third quarter of the Week 10 Game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, November 10, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the second quarter of the Week 8 Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs with the ball during the Week 15 Game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, December 16, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs with the ball during the Week 13 Game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, December 1, 2024. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 scores a touchdown during the Week 7 Game against the Seattle Seahawks at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, October 20, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter of the Week 10 Game against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, November 10, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the third quarter of the Week 8 Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the second half of the Week 6 Game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, October 13, 2024. (Photo by Joshua Lavallee/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs for a touchdown during the third quarter of the Week 8 Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo by Brennan Asplen/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 rushes during the second quarter of the Week 14 Game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday, December 8, 2024. (Photo by Jay Bendlin/Atlanta Falcons)
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson #7 runs with the ball during the Week 15 Game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday, December 16, 2024. (Photo by Brandon Magnus/Atlanta Falcons)
