This article makes me sick because I have to be a little nice to the saints, but Fontenot is more than qualified to be the next general manager for the Falcons. Rumors are circulating in the national media that Fontenot will partner with Joe Brady, and this is a pair that I can certainly be convinced of. A little history about Fontenot:
Fontenot has been with AINTS for over 18 years, which was undoubtedly his best. He was heavily involved as a scout and with the players’ staff during his time.
While the peak situation in New Orleans for 2021 is actually a dump fire, Fontenot mainly deals with evaluating players and selecting professional leagues and future opponents (and he’s good at that).
Pros:
Player acquisitions
It is important to note that Fontenot has many roles, especially the Director of Pro Scouting. He has a serious eye for talent and has acquired players in positions that the Falcons have sometimes struggled with.
Looking at free agents, DeMario Davis became one of the best WILL Linebackers in the game after leaving the Jets – even at 32. Fontenot recently helped get Emmanuel Sanders and Malcolm Jenkins out of the bargain box, too. Saints rarely deliver bad contracts to free agents, and the Falcons had a lot of bad problems this off season.
Exploring future opponents
Even though Drew Brees is completely roasted and Taysom Hill is very limited, New Orleans finds a way to win regular season games. They will be busy with Tampa Bay this weekend, but part of Fontenot’s job is to assess the talent of the other teams. He did well; Saints always seem to come up with a solid game plan and adjust. As much as I am a clown in New Orleans, they have been in a position to win playoff games (which they swallowed) in each of the last three seasons. Most should be credited to Sean Payton, but Fontenot has been doing this for 17 years. Making adjustments and planning the game after the first half was … problematic for Atlanta in recent years, to say the least.
Experience
17 years as a janitor in the NFL is an impressive achievement, especially for an organization. This will be Fontenot’s sixth year as Director of Pro Scouting. He saw New Orleans football’s best years from afar, and I would say he contributed to bringing Drew Brees on board, leading to his only Lombardi Trophy 11 years ago. Even though Joe Brady’s “readiness” is questionable, Fontenot knows this game inside and out.
Cons:
Compensation options going to New Orleans
New Orleans will have two compensatory choices in the third round for having a minority candidate hired. I have no problem with the rule itself and, fortunately, they don’t reload with two good players using these picks. Regardless, if you really believe Fontenot is the guy, you have to roll the dice.
Current situation of Saints Cap
In case you missed our endless jokes about it on Twitter, Saints is about $ 100 million over the 2021 limit – and if it doesn’t fall. Drew Brees’s retirement will ease some of that pressure, but they have a lot of work to do. You may need to cut Kwon Alexander now. I predict that Mickey Loomis will do a little magic and bring the situation under control, but it’s still kicking the way. I would not necessarily say that this situation is the work of Fontenot, but it is worth noting. Regardless, I can’t blame a guy for paying to keep his best players and going all at once with Drew Brees. With a team as limited as Atlanta, he has a difficult task ahead of him. I listed some cut candidates to give Fontenot some breathing space, but the final situation will be risky in the wake of a season impacted by COVID-19.
Short leash with fan base
I’ll be brief because it’s more in theory than in practice, but if a guy comes from New Orleans and negotiates with Julio Jones and gets a bad return or does little or nothing in the first few seasons, fans will be excited that he came from the saints. Just saying.
Unknown role with university scouting
Look, the Santos draft is good. Look no further than the 2017 NFL Draft, the one where the Falcons were notoriously disapproved. Getting a permanent Pro Bowl straight on Ryan Ramczyk, superstar RB Alvin Kamara, a solid EDGE on Trey Hendrickson, CB Marshon Lattimore and safety Marcus Williams in a draft is pretty impressive. Even guys in recent drafts like Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz were good for New Orleans. Not to mention that Michael Thomas was chosen in the second round of the 2016 draft, one of the best left tackles in football at Terron Armstead was chosen in 2013 (third round), and Cam Jordan was chosen in 2011 (24th overall). New Orleans made the choices count throughout the draft.
Okay, that made me feel disgusting. However, Fontenot deals with the acquisition of PRO talent. As a scout, I’m sure it helps in verifying college players. At the moment, I have no information to say that it made a big impact in this regard.