
The Falcons’ 4-9 record and two-month collapse has most people believing Raheem Morris isn’t going to make it to a third year in Atlanta. But beyond the on-field results, the early-season noise created by Ray-Ray McCloud only seems to be getting louder as the team continues to spiral.
The McCloud situation stems from the Falcons’ sudden firing of wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard, which came right after Atlanta’s 30-0 loss to the Panthers in Week 3. It was a bizarre response to a game where every aspect of the team failed — a move Raheem Morris has repeatedly labeled “performance based.”
In the weeks that followed, McCloud was sent home and eventually released. The Falcons then won two straight, including a primetime win over Josh Allen and the Bills on Monday Night Football. That stretch quieted the noise for a bit, but McCloud has been as vocal as ever in recent weeks while watching his former team unravel from afar.
Following Atlanta’s embarrassing loss to the Jets, he retweeted a tweet that suggested Raheem Morris lost the locker room when he fired Ike Hilliard, and McCloud doubled down in a much longer Instagram post on Wednesday, insinuating that Hilliard’s firing and his release had nothing to do with performance.
“God always shines light on the truth because IT WAS NEVER PERFORMANCE BASED,” McCloud said in the post.
To add even more concern, Falcons star cornerback chimed in with this comment in support of his former teammate.
Not only did Ray Ray McCloud speak on the issue. AJ Terrell responded as well.
Don't know what it's about but it's interesting#atlantafalcons pic.twitter.com/wS5MVpput0
— (Mad) Mike Luciano! (@MadMikeSports) December 10, 2025
Things continue to go from bad to worse for Raheem Morris. The results on the field are that of a coach who looks completely in over his head, and it’s fair to wonder whether the situation involving Hilliard and McCloud has had a negative effect on the entire locker room. Atlanta has lost seven of its last eight games and looked utterly lifeless in its latest performance against the Seattle Seahawks.
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