With the Falcons off to their worst start since 1997 at 0-5 following a 23-16 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Atlanta has finally fired head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff.
Quinn, who was in the midst of his sixth season with the team, will be best remembered for allowing the Falcons to squander a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2016 season.
Though the Falcons made the playoffs the following year, the team posted back-to-back losing seasons in 2018 and 2019 and will almost certainly finish this season below .500 thanks to the horrible start.
“Decisions like these are very difficult, but the previous two seasons and start to this one have been especially hard for me because of the deep love, admiration and respect I and my family have for Dan, Thomas and their families,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “For many years, they have represented me, our team, organization and Atlanta with class, commitment and all the passion you would want in the leaders of the team. But as everyone knows, this is a results business and I owe it to our fans to put the best product we can on the field.”
Quinn, 50, finishes his time in Atlanta with a 43-42 record in the regular season and a 3-2 record in the playoffs.
Raheem Morris will take over as interim head coach, and team president and CEO Rich McKay — who preceded Dimitroff as GM — will temporarily take over control of football operations.
“We are moving forward and will do everything we can to help this year’s team win as many games as possible while putting a strong plan in place to execute these important leadership searches with an eye to positioning the Falcons for success well into the future,” McKay said in a statement.
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