After shaking up their front office on Monday, the Atlanta Falcons are targeting a key figure in the Detroit Lions’ front office for one of their top positions.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Falcons have requested to interview Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner for their president of football operations vacancy. Disner, who has spent the last seven seasons with the Lions, has held his current position since May 2022.
Alongside Lions principal owner Sheila Hamp, team president Rod Wood, and Special Assistant to President/CEO and Chairperson Chris Spielman, Disner has been a key figure in the Lions’ rebuild over the past few seasons. He led the search that led to the hiring of general manager Brad Holmes and coach Dan Campbell.
In a statement announcing the firings of coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot, Falcons owner Arthur Blank said he would create a new role, president of football operations.
“The leader in this new role will set the vision and identity for our team,” Blank said. “Our new head coach and general manager will report to the new president of football, and they will work collaboratively as a football leadership team on all football decisions. Final decision-making authority will rest with the president of football.
“This leader will also work in collaboration with the club’s president and CEO to ensure the team’s football and business operations are appropriately aligned with unified organizational goals to deliver success on the field and in all areas of engaging Falcons fans. The new president of football will report directly to me. We plan to move quickly on this hire so the new president of football can be fully involved in the selection of our new leaders in the head coach and general manager roles.”
Disner, a West Bloomfield native, joined the Lions in 2019 with a background in player contract negotiations and NFL salary cap management. He spent his first two seasons as vice president of football administration, overseeing salary cap strategy, player contracts, CBA compliance, analytics, and roster-related financial planning.
With a 19-year NFL career, Disner also spent six seasons (2013–18) as the Arizona Cardinals’ director of football administration. Prior to that, he worked for four years with the NFL Management Council.
If the Lions lose Disner, that would mean two key figures departing the franchise in the same week.
On Tuesday, the Lions announced they parted ways with offensive coordinator and Auburn Hills native John Morton after one season.