Falcons’ owner Arthur Blank knows his team has a playoff-ready roster. However, a few changes needed to happen this offseason. First off, the team fired head coach Arthur Smith after three seasons. Since then, Atlanta has interviewed 14 candidates to find the right guy for the job. For the first time in 20 years, Arthur Blank has hired a former head coach to take over Atlanta.
After a lengthy search, the Falcons have narrowed their decision down to one. Former Rams DC Raheem Morris has been hired by the Atlanta Falcons as their 19th head coach in franchise history. Morris was with the Falcons for one season in 2020 and became their interim head coach that season after Dan Quinn was fired. Now, he gets to be their first full-time black head coach in Falcons history. The team hopes that Morris can help turn their franchise around and make the a playoff contender once again.
Raheem Morris will be the next head coach of the Atlanta Falcons
From @GMFB: The #Panthers hired Dave Canales, the #Falcons hired Raheem Morris, and what this means for Bill Belichick. pic.twitter.com/xulsEz4t9P
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 26, 2024
For the last three seasons, the Falcons had Arthur Smith as their head coach. Atlanta went 7-10 for three years in a row and never made the playoffs. That is why Smith was fired and the Falcons have already found his replacement. They’re going back to a familiar face in Raheem Morris. In 2020, he was Atlanta’s DC to start the season and was promoted to interim head coach after Dan Quinn was fired. Morris went 4-7 as their interim head coach that season.
When Morris left the Falcons after the 2020 season, he joined the LA Rams. In his first season as DC, the Rams made it to the Super Bowl and beat the Cincinnati Bengals. The 47-year-old was with LA for three seasons and now gets to be a full-time head coach in the NFL. League sources said he was one of four candidates who had a second interview with the team. Legendary head coach Bill Belichick was one of them but did not get the job.
Falcons plan to hire Rams’ defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach, per sources. pic.twitter.com/qlz3PbgEtJ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024
Now that Morris has been hired by the Falcons, only two head coaching jobs are left in the NFL. Washington and Seattle still have vacancies. Back in 2022, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke in an interview about Raheem Morris. At the time, he said he was one the best coaches in the NFL who did not have a full-time gig. A little over a year later, Morris is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. The team has not had a winning season since 2017 and Morris has a chance to get them back on track. With Morris leading the team, the franchise’s outlook going forward is moving in the right direction.
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