Falcons fire Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot hours after finishing 8-9 season

• Morris fired after second straight 8-9 season

• Fontenot exits after four-year tenure as GM

• Falcons begin concurrent searches for both roles

The Atlanta Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot on Sunday night, announcing the moves hours after the team completed their second straight 8-9 finish under Morris and an eighth consecutive losing season.

Morris said after Sunday's 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints that he expected to return for a third season. Instead, his 16-18 record was not enough to save his job after a year that began with optimism the Falcons would reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.