Falcons fire general manager Thomas Dimitroff on same day as Dan Quinn

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank wasted no time in firing Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff after the team dropped to 0-5.

After a brutal 2019 season, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank gave head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff one more chance to turns things around. The team went winless through the first four weeks of the NFL season, leaving many wondering how short a leash both had. Even after the team’s underwhelming loss to the rival Carolina Panthers, the expectation was that Blank would pull the proverbial trigger on Quinn during team meetings on Monday. That wasn’t the case, and he wrote up another pink slip to the head of his front office.

On Sunday evening, the Falcons officially announced that both Quinn and Dimitroff have been fired from their respective positions. Even though they were let go, Blank let it be known that the two represented the organization with class.

An interim head coach is expected to be announced on Monday, while team president and CEO Rich McKay will assume control over football operations.

Dimitroff firing comes as a bit of a shock

Everyone expected that Quinn would be the first one to be shown the door, but no one really thought Dimitroff would join him. That move was believed to happen later on in the season. Yet, with the team’s dreadful start to the 2020 campaign, Blank had seen enough.

Dimitroff has served as Atlanta’s general manager since 2008 after six seasons as the director of college scouting for the New England Patriots. Dimitroff is responsible for the core of the team, as he used his first draft selection on quarterback Matt Ryan and made the savvy move to trade up in the 2011 NFL Draft to pick superstar wide receiver Julio Jones.

Quinn was hired in 2015 after two years as defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks, and had immediate success with the Falcons. In his second season, Quinn coached the Falcons to an 11-5 record and brought them to Super Bowl 51. Things were going great in the big game against the New England Patriots, but the team failed to hold onto their 28-3 lead and ultimately succumbed to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick in overtime. The loss stuck with the Falcons years later, as they appeared to be shaken and never fully recovered their confidence.

Quinn finishes his Falcons career with a 43-41 overall record. As for Dimitroff, the Falcons held a 109-83 regular-season record during his tenure.

Now, Blank will look to finish out the season with interim position holders, and will focus on bringing the team back to their winning ways.