Raheem Morris Sees Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce Attention (With Coach As Swift) After The Draft

Taylor Swift has a bunch of hits to her credit and, in a different sense, Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were reaching for some hits during the NFL draft. 

But after the Falcons made the widely chronicled and debated pick of quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, the team's coach began to see a different connection between himself and the pop singer.

"I hate for it to be the story of the draft, but I know it will be," Morris told reporters over the weekend, in expanding on the team's Penix Jr. selection. "That's just how our world is based and is driven. But I can't say it's annoying, no, because it's what people want to see. It's piqued more interest.

"What's [Travis] Kelce's girlfriend's name? I’m Taylor Swift and Terry is Kelce. We're making this thing popular."

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - FEBRUARY 05:  General manager Terry Fontenot of the Atlanta Falcons speaks to the media as Raheem Morris is introduced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 05, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Terry Fontenot Doesn't See Comparison

Fontenot, sitting next to Morris, immediately realized the evening presser, following three marathon days of drafting eight players, had just gone off script.

"What are we doing?" the general manager asked, before adding, "He’s tired guys. We're getting tired. We should wrap this up."

Responded Morris: "We're famous right now, I don't know."

Famous would apply if picking Penix Jr. – a surprising pick because the Falcons just signed Kirk Cousins to a $180 contract – works out. 

If, for example, Cousins plays very well throughout his term and Penix similarly performs if the 35-year-old starter is injured and cannot play, then this pick will be seen as a moment of clarity.

That's where some folks are already.

HOUSTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 8: Michael Penix Jr. #9 of the Washington Huskies looks to pass during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the 2024 CFP National Championship game at NRG Stadium on January 8, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by CFP/Getty Images)

Penix Jr. Pick Has Detractors

But that isn't where the majority of the reaction is now. There are questions about the wisdom of paying a veteran to start and then investing a first-round pick on a rookie a month later to sit him on the bench.

There are questions about how this would work, with Cousins tied contractually to the team through 2027 and with the contract's guarantees virtually preventing the Falcons from moving in a different direction for at least two years.  

Those questions make the fact Penix Jr. spent six years in school and will be 24 years old in May – older than most rookies – a questionable fit. The reason?

If Penix doesn't play for at least two seasons, he would be 2 ½ years older than, say, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud and have four years less experience as an NFL starter.

So, yes, the pick was newsworthy in all sorts of attention-getting ways. With the attention not always being complimentary. 

"You prepare for those things, and you definitely understand that, and so you've got to be prepared for it," Fontenot said. "But … there's never a time when we're talking about making decisions, OK, we need to make a decision based off how it's going to be received. 

"No, we make sure we're doing the right things for the organization and those are the factors we look at."

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - FEBRUARY 10: NFL player Kirk Cousin attends Tostitos’ pop-up restaurant, Tost by Tostitos on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Tostitos)

Kirk Cousins Not Thrilled 

The Falcons did not communicate to Cousins they were drafting his likely replacement in the first round until the team was on the clock on Thursday.

Cousins did not like the surprise but really didn't like the timing.

But the Falcons claim the secrecy of their strategy was merited.

"You'll be attacked for the timing – when should you have done this or tell that person," Morris said. "Our information is so sensitive, it's so delicate, this thing runs crazy if [a reporter] finds out we're taking a quarterback three days before and how much that could happen. And when you tell him, is that a right time? There's never a right time. That's the honest truth.

"When you do tell them?  There's always going to be some fallback, but it is what it is and how you go about in your business and your communication moving forward and how you want to do that with your team and with everybody else.  "

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 24:  Head coach Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers watches on during their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 24, 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Morris As Swift May Play Out

So Morris is basically saying the club's leadership decided not to tell Cousins to be certain the information wouldn't get out. That suggests the club didn't necessarily trust the quarterback they signed to a huge contract last month to keep confidential strategy confidential.

Not a great look.

And that brings us back to the Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce comparison. Because one has to wonder how long that relationship would last if one or the other had plans to start dating someone else…

…But didn't reveal that intention until minutes before that date begins.