Atlanta Falcons fire Arthur Smith following 7-10 season،
The Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Arthur Smith after three seasons without a playoff appearance or winning record.
Smith met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay Sunday night, hours after a 48-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints sealed a 7-10 season. The Falcons had an outside chance to clinch the NFC South with a victory, but were outscored 31-0 after halftime.
Smith finished 21-30 in his three seasons with the team.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they are never pleasant,” Blank said in a statement. “We have deep respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all of the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the past three years. He has helped build a great culture on our football team , but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After careful consideration and reflection, we have determined that the best path forward for our team is new leadership at the head coaching position.
The team said the search for a new coach would begin immediately. It will be led by Blank and McKay, with contributions from general manager Terry Fontenot.
Sunday's game against the Saints was a low point for Smith. Atlanta scored touchdowns on its first two series, then managed just three points the rest of the game while being outscored 41-3 in a must-win game.
Smith left the field in anger, shouting at his Saints counterpart, Dennis Allen, as the two approached for a postgame handshake that ultimately never happened. Smith was upset that New Orleans scored on a late 1-yard run when the game was almost over. Allen later apologized to Smith, saying the Saints players called and the coaches never intended to try to score.
Smith was then asked about his status and his arguments for continuing with the team.
“Whatever the job, you have a lot of confidence,” he said. “I'm not going to give an overview at the moment of everything that has happened over the last three years. The season has just ended. It was obviously not the result we needed today and it's clear the second half got out of hand. Thanks New Orleans.”
Smith was brought on as an offensive-minded coach when he was hired in January 2021, with his previous job being the Titans' offensive coordinator. Despite some young offensive weapons – Atlanta used first-round picks on tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson – the offense never thrived, finishing 26th in 2021 and 2023 and tied for 15th in 2021 and 2023. 2022. He has never averaged more than 22 points in a season.
Inconsistent play at quarterback has been a major issue, and one of the biggest questions for Smith's replacement will be how to handle the position. Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke are under contract through 2024, with Logan Woodside a restricted free agent. Ridder has no guaranteed money on his rookie contract and Heinicke is expected to only have $2 million in dead money with $7 million in cap savings if he is waived.
The Falcons will pick eighth overall in the April NFL Draft.
Smith also brought in two defensive coordinators, Dean Pees and Ryan Nielsen, the latter of whom transformed Atlanta into a formidable unit this season.
Blank and Fontenot now embark on a coaching search to try to turn around a franchise that has not finished with a winning record or reached the playoffs since the 2017 season. This will be the seventh full-time coach owned in Blank, since 2002.
