It wouldn’t be an NFL draft without Atlanta Falcons fans calling for Terry Fontenot’s job, would it? A year after the Falcons general manager stunned everyone by drafting rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, he pulled another stunner. Fontenot orchestrated a trade to get back in Round 1 of the 2025 draft that, among other things, gave up his first-round choice in 2026. It was all in pursuit of adding to his team’s pass rush, pairing James Pearce Jr. with Jalon Walker.

And it wasn’t a very popular move. Every single draft pick value chart found that the Falcons got hosed, and commentary on social media set Atlanta on fire. It seems that Fontenot took the wrong lesson from his old boss’s mistake; he was in the New Orleans Saints front office when Mickey Loomis made a similar trade to go get Marcus Davenport back in 2018. But Fontenot may not have the job security Loomis enjoys after such a blunder.

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“Terry Fontenot has gone Full Loomis,” wrote NFL.com analyst Gregg Rosenthal. “Never go Full Loomis.”

For his part, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay was happy to indulge Fontenot’s decision, saying afterwards that the Falcons’ offer was “too good to be able to pass up.” In exchange for the No. 26 pick and a third rounder at No. 101, the Falcons gave up next year’s first rounder and a seventh rounder this year (No. 242) to move up from their second-round pick at No. 46. Atlanta is betting big on these improvement getting them to the playoffs this season, but that’s the same gamble Loomis has lost out on before, and in a couple of instances with Fontenot right beside him. For Fontenot’s sake, let’s hope he has the same job security Loomis has enjoyed while escaping scot-free from too many bad bets of his own.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot taking heat for bold trade