Falcons owner Arthur Blank speaks for first time since firing Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot

ATLANTA — Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank spoke to the media for the first time on Thursday about the recent shakeup in the team’s front office.

Blank fired head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot just hours after the season ended.

He said he let them go purely based on performance. Blank says it had nothing to do with signing Kirk Cousins to a big contract and then drafting Michael Penix Jr.

“At the end of the day, I didn’t think we achieved at the level we were capable of,” he said.

The Falcons owner said that Penix Jr. is the franchise’s quarterback and that they will see if Kirk Cousins will return.

In addition to hiring a new general manager and head coach, Blank said he will also hire a new president of football.

Channel 2 sports director Zach Klein spoke with over a dozen league sources Wednesday for Channel 2 Action News at 6:00 p.m. about the frontrunner for each position.

Sources told Klein that former Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan is high on the list. Blank confirmed Thursday that Ryan will interview for the job this week.

The sources also told Klein that Chicago Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham and former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski are the frontrunners for the GM and head coaching jobs.