Black Monday is here and so far we’ve lost four head coaches to the proverbial axe — Raheem Morris (Falcons), Kevin Stefanski (Browns), Jonathan Gannon (Cardinals), and Pete Carroll (Raiders). During the season, we also saw two Brians get ushered out early, Brian Callahan (Titans) and Brian Daboll (Giants).
Below, we’ll take a look at the Atlanta Falcons, and who they might hire to lead the way in 2026. Former head coach Raheem Morris lasted just two seasons, and despite a good finish to this season, he was let go with a 16-18 overall record. The team also let GM Terry Fontenot go, along with other front office positions. This is a big overhaul of the organization as they look to reset once again.
Kevin Stefanski (former Browns head coach)
Stefanski is going to be a hot commodity after getting fired from the Browns after six seasons. Sure, he didn’t post the best overall record, but he did much better than a majority of Browns coaches and recently, Deshaun Watson’s albatross around the neck contract, made it nearly impossible to build a winning team. The Falcons, along with most of the head coaching vacancies, have already requested an interview with Stefanski.
There aren’t a bunch of good, seasoned, offensive minded coaches available, so Stefanski should be able to be a little picky about his landing spot. The Falcons job, without a first round pick this year or a quarterback who has showed they might be the future, doesn’t look amazing from the outside.
Bill Belichick (UNC head coach)
We know the Falcons were close to hiring Belichick when they went ahead and passed him by for Morris in 2024. At the time, the Falcons higher ups didn’t want to give Belichick as much control as he’d like, but has that changed after two more losing seasons? Maybe the Falcons would want him to come in and take control or maybe Belichick is now desperate enough for an NFL job again that he would be more amicable to less control.
There are plenty of concerns about Belichick at this point in his career, especially after heading to the college ranks and not succeeding in his first season at Chapel Hill. But, if he wants back in the NFL, we know he has ties to Arthur Blank and the Falcons don’t have a premium product to sell to coaches like Stefanski. We know the soon to be Hall-of-Fame coach won’t have his pick of landing spots, but this one seems the most-likely at this point.
Klint Kubiak (Seahawks offensive coordinator)
Kubiak has shown an ability to get top-notch offense out of average to above average quarterbacks over the last couple seasons between Derek Carr and Sam Darnold. The job he’s done in Seattle this season should put him front and center in this year’s hiring circus.
Teams looking for a head coach right now are also very much in need of an offensive mind that can get the most out of middling quarterbacks. When it comes down to it, that may be the most important job a coach has in a league bereft of talented signal callers. The Falcons will likely be forced to stick with Penix Jr. and some free agent competition, and if so, Kubiak would be a strong candidate.
Brian Flores (Vikings defensive coordinator)
Flores has built a name for himself recently as a master at rattling quarterbacks with defensive pressure. In this league, if you can scheme pressure up, you’re going to go far. We’ve seen the NFL go from a pass first and often league to more balance as defenses like Flores’ figure out ways to slow down the quarterback frenzy. The Falcons have some good defensive pieces and Flores might just turn that group into a powerhouse.
Vance Joseph (Broncos defensive coordinator)
Overall, there are more strong defensive minds available this off-season than offensive. Flores and Joseph are two of the best on the defensive side right now. If a team wants to lean toward building a strong defense to help whatever young quarterback they have, I wouldn’t blame them. (See the Texans) Joseph has helped put together one of the best defenses in the league in Denver and we’ve seen it pay off, as they have the No. 1 seed in the playoffs despite a young, inconsistent quarterback on offense. The Falcons might just want to beef up that defense and rely on Bijan Robinson and the run game moving forward.
Mike LaFleur (Rams offensive coordinator)
Maybe the Falcons don’t want to go back to the Rams coaching ranks for their head coach, but this time they’d get the offensive side of the ball instead of defensive, as Morris was the DC for the Rams when hired. LaFleur, who is currently the Rams OC under Sean McVay, should be sought after. Sure, McVay calls the plays, but LeFleur is steeped in the offense that has helped make Matt LeFleur and Kevin O’Connell recent successes. If I’m plucking coaches from a coaching tree, I like some of that McVay windfall.
