Falcons fire defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, assistant Jay Rodgers following defense’s poor finish

By Canadian Press on January 11, 2025.

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons fired defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake and defensive line coach Jay Rodgers on Saturday following first-year coach Raheem Morris’ sharp criticism of his defense’s disappointing finish.

The Falcons (8-9) missed the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season following a 44-38 overtime loss to Carolina on Sunday.

“After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team’s future, we deemed these moves necessary,” Morris said in a two-paragraph statement released by the team. “These decisions are never easy from the human side of things and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best.”

The Falcons’ late-season benching of quarterback Kirk Cousins and three-game audition of rookie Michael Penix Jr. as the new starter entering the 2025 season was the biggest news of the season, but Morris focused on the disappointing late showing by the defense following the loss to the Panthers.

Morris said following the game he was “really shocked” and “really disappointed in our defense.”

The staff changes were not a surprise.

On Monday, when asked about the status of Lake and if he anticipated making changes on the staff, Morris said: “I’ve been around the league for a while and very rarely do things stay the same.”

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Charles Odum, The Associated Press