The Atlanta Falcons need to get it together.

For the second straight year, their dysfunction and lack of quality control has become one of the top stories of NFL Draft weekend.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced it has fined the Falcons organization $250,000 and defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 for their negligence that led to a draft weekend prank call to Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Specifically, the league is penalizing Atlanta and Ulbrich for “failing to prevent the disclosure of confidential information distributed to the club in advance of the NFL Draft.”

Jax Ulbrich, 21, the coordinator’s son, took Sanders’ phone number “off an open iPad while visiting his parent’s home and wrote the number down to later conduct a prank call,” the Falcons said in a statement released on Sunday.

The team said Jeff Ulbrich, the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, “was unaware of the data exposure or any facets of the prank and was made aware of the above only after the fact.”

The Falcons said they “do not condone this behavior and send our sincere apologies to Shedeur Sanders and his family,” adding that both the team and Jax Ulbrich had or would apologize directly to Sanders.

On Wednesday, the team reiterated its cooperation with the league and its understanding of the consequences.

“We appreciate the NFL’s swift and thorough review of last week’s data exposure and the event that transpired due to it,” the Falcons organization said in a statement. “We were proactive in addressing the situation internally and cooperated fully with the league throughout the process, and accept the discipline levied to Coach Jeff Ulbrich and the organization.

“We are confident in our security policies and practices and will continue to emphasize adherence to them with our staff whether on or off premises,” the club added. “Additionally, the Ulbrich family is working with the organization to participate in community service initiatives in relation to last week’s matter.”

The Falcons, run by GM Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris, have raised plenty of eyebrows the past two springs on top of this massive error.

Last year, Atlanta confounded the rest of the league by drafting Michael Penix Jr. No. 8 overall immediately after signing veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Then in this year’s draft, Fontenot gave up Atlanta’s 2026 first round pick to the L.A. Rams to move up from pick No. 46 in the second round to No. 26 in the first round to select Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce Jr.

The Falcons have picked No. 16 overall or higher in every year from 2019 on, so they may have just armed the Rams with a premium asset to go get its next franchise quarterback one year from now.

Jax Ulbrich, the son of last season’s Jets interim head coach, and his friends prank-called Sanders during his slide to the NFL Draft’s fifth round.

Both sides of the call were videoed separately and put on social media.

“Hey, is this Shedeur,” Ulbrich’s friend said. “This is Mickey Loomis here, the GM of the New Orleans Saints.”

“Been waiting on you,” Sanders responded.

“It’s been a long wait, man,” Ulbrich’s friend said. “We’re gonna take you with our next pick right here, man.”

Sanders said: “Yessir, let’s be legendary.”

Then Ulbrich’s friend said: “But you’re gonna have to wait a bit longer now, sorry about that,” and he hung up and started laughing.

Sanders caught on to the trick that was being played on him by that point, and in the end, the NFL acted swiftly on a Falcons organization that recently hasn’t been able to get out of its own way.

Originally Published: April 30, 2025 at 12:56 PM EDT