National Football League

Falcons HC Raheem Morris: 'We're a quarterback away' from contention

Updated Feb. 28, 2024 6:04 p.m. ET

Newly minted Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is thankful to get a full-time opportunity back with a team he's already very familiar with, but Morris made clear during an appearance on FOX Sports analyst Keyshawn Johnson's podcast, "All Facts No Brakes," that he's not shying away from his main priority in his new job: winning a Super Bowl.

"We're a quarterback away," Morris said. "I don't think that's a secret. I think we've got to go and find out and put our guy in position to go have the most success and have the most chance to win that we can. Let's go find that guy. Let's put our heads together, let's listen, let's communicate, let's get somebody who's a part of our Falcon ethos."

The Falcons entered last season with Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback, but the second-year signal-caller struggled to the tune of 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with 2,836 yards and a 64.2% completion rate over 15 games (13 starts). The Falcons' offensive struggles with Ridder under center ultimately dragged the team down to a 7-10 finish and helped cost head coach Arthur Smith his job, and Morris is not tiptoeing around that fact.

"If we had better quarterback play last year in Atlanta, I might not be standing here," Morris told reporters Tuesday at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine.

Morris's comments seemingly eliminate the possibility of running it back with Ridder, who's still under contract with the team, in 2024 — but that's about the only option Morris is ruling out. The Falcons not only have the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, they also have been linked to the Minnesota Vikings' Kirk Cousins and Chicago Bears' Justin Fields.

Cousins is set to be a free agent when the new league year starts in March, while Fields' future is a major question mark as the Bears weigh whether to keep building around him or replace him with the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

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Fields, a Georgia native, also commented on the Falcons' situation in a recent podcast appearance, complementing Atlanta's young skill position players — including running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London — as well as a defense that improved last year led by new addition Jessie Bates III, the veteran safety who recorded a career-high six interceptions in his first season with the Falcons.

Morris also knows better than most how adding a veteran quarterback can elevate an already-talented team, having served as the Los Angeles Rams' defensive coordinator when they won the Super Bowl just one year after swapping out Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford.

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"When we talk about acquiring quarterbacks, it's going to be through either trade, through the draft or through free agency," Morris said. "I think all of those things are open for us, and there are a lot of great options out there. … At the quarterback position, we've certainly better be able to talk about a plan A, plan B, plan C and plan D, how you can move forward and how you can go win. The most important part of all this, right now, is that all these avenues are open."

It remains to be seen what direction Morris and the Falcons ultimately decide to go at the quarterback spot. But one thing seems clear — there will be a new face under center in Atlanta next season.

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