Falcons to interview Terry Fontenot of the Saints and Brad Holmes of the Rams for general manager

The problem with Black Monday is teams can no longer wait until Black Monday to start firing everyone. So instead of wondering if the Falcons will fire Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff, we have heard rumors for weeks about their replacements. The Falcons previously interviewed former Texans general manager Rick Smith, as he was not employed by another team.

Per Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, the Falcons will likely hire a general manager first. Some top candidates may be able to negotiate a general manager, such as Kyle Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers. The Falcons either believe no candidate is worthy of picking the general manager, or the decision makers simply do not want someone else selecting the general manager.

So it makes sense to see general manager interviews coming up early today.

Since interviews will be limited to Zoom calls, we may see interviews proceed unusually quickly. Typically, you would expect Arthur Blank to send around his private jet, entertain candidates at Bones, and generally show off intriguing parts of the organization. Now they can fit in multiple interviews each day.

Both candidates up on Monday have already been linked to the Falcons, with both candidates having extensive scouting experience. Every rumor and report suggests the Falcons will cast a wide net on initial interviews for head coach and general manager. In 2015, it was clear the Falcons were shooting for Dan Quinn and only Dan Quinn. There does not appear to be a favorite for the Falcons, at least as of yet. We will find out more when we see who comes back for a second round of interviews.