I expect to see a line of coaches banging on Arthur Blanks door attempting to score an interview. Barring a deep playoff run, the Falcons are expected to fire head coach Mike Smith after this season, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
The Falcons (6-9) remain in the playoff race after defeating the New Orleans Saints 30-14 in a thriller on Sunday.
La Canfora reports that it will take a “shocking” playoff run to prevent owner Arthur Blank from making a change at head coach.
Atlanta has fallen well below expectations the past two seasons, and while the Falcons are alive in the lowly NFC South despite having won just one game outside of their division all season — against Arizona — and have lost three of their last four. A loss to the Saints today would end their season, and even a hallow division win, at say 7-9, would not placate Blank, sources said, who believes some significant changes are necessary.
The Falcons expected to compete for a Super Bowl since 2012, and have suffered a 9-21 record the last two seasons.
Among the candidates the Falcons are doing due diligence on includes Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, with team president Rich McKay among those working through backchannels gathering information on top candidates. Stanford coach David Shaw could be a consideration as well.