Following three seasons without a playoff appearance or a winning record, the Atlanta Falcons have cut ties with head coach Arthur Smith.
With an outside chance of winning the division for the first time since 2016, the Falcons gave up 31 points after halftime on the way to a 48-17 blowout loss in New Orleans on Sunday. The loss gave Atlanta its third consecutive 7-10 season.
Smith met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay on Sunday night and news about the firing broke just after midnight on Monday morning. Smith finished 21-30 in his three seasons with the team.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” Blank said via statement. “We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position.”
As for finding a replacement, reports are that the team will start the search for a new coach immediately. Blank and McKay will lead the charge, general manager Terry Fontenot will have his input as well.
A late touchdown by New Orleans, with a 24-point lead and setup at the Atlanta 1-yard line following a Tyrann Mathieu interception, lead to a tense confrontation between Smith and Saints head coach Dennis Allen at mid-field following the game. Allen has since apologized for the play, stating that he intended for the offense to take a knee but the players changed direction in favor of getting Saints running back Jamaal Williams his first touchdown of the season.
Meeting with the media after the game, Smith was asked about his status and what his case would be to continue with the team.
“With any job, you got a lot of confidence,” he said. “I’m not going to give a state of the union right now of everything that’s happened the last three years. The season just ended. Obviously wasn’t the result we needed today and clearly the second half got out of hand. Credit to New Orleans”
Despite success as the offensive coordinator of the Titans before being hired in January 2021, in his three seasons in Atlanta, Smith was never able to put a productive offense on the field. After using high-first-round picks on tight end Kyle Pitts, wide receiver Drake London and running back Bijan Robinson, the offense finished at the bottom of the league in 2021 and 2023 and tied for 15th in 2022. While the defense was much improved prior to last season, the offense struggled to score more than 22 points/game in a season.