Just ahead of his first season as the Atlanta Falcons head coach, Raheem Morris made a bold move by drafting Michael Penix Jr. with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
That decision could end up determining his employment status. Now entering Year 2, Morris is placing the fate of the entire organization in Penix\u2019s arm, all the while having Kirk Cousins, who signed a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason, sit behind him on the bench.<\/p>\n
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That said, there may be little leeway for Morris after a disappointing first season at the helm. An 8-9 campaign and a seventh straight year of missing the playoffs, despite their bold quarterback plans, has created serious unease around Atlanta.<\/p>\n
The result heading into the 2025 season has landed Morris on CBS Sports\u2019 Cody Benjamin\u2019s ranking of the NFL\u2019s worst head coaches<\/a>. He was listed at No. 27 overall in the \u201cunproven and underwhelming\u201d Tier 3 category.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a team that was supposed to be a quarterback away going into 2024, the young Falcons have a lot of questions after Morris’ situational calls contributed to another non-playoff season in Atlanta,\u201d Benjamin wrote. \u201cIf Michael Penix Jr. delivers under center, the tides could turn.\u201d<\/p>\n The Falcons began the 2024 season 6-3 and were leading the NFC South before the wheels fell off in Week 10. Cousins suffered elbow and shoulder injuries that mostly went unreported, hampering his play during a 2-6 finish.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp<\/a><\/p>\n In the final three games, Penix took over and performed well enough that Morris named him the starter for 2025 \u2014 a decision the coach will now have to live with, for better or worse.<\/p>\n Morris is 29-47 as a head coach, with his previous stop coming in Tampa Bay from 2009 to 2011. He\u2019s had just one winning season \u2014 a 10-6 campaign in 2010 with the Buccaneers.<\/p>\n Now he\u2019s at the center of one of the NFL\u2019s most fascinating quarterback situations: a second-year starter with just three career starts and a $27.5 million backup on the bench.<\/p>\n Still, Morris isn\u2019t showing any signs of pressure. At minicamp, he called the situation \u201cboring<\/a>,\u201d expressing confidence there won\u2019t be disruptions from Cousins as Penix transitions into the role.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n