The Atlanta Falcons have fired head coach Arthur Smith after three seasons without a playoff appearance or a winning record.
Smith met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay on 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 win the NFC South with a win 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 never feel good,» Blank said in a 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.»
The team said a search for a new coach will begin immediately.
One of the biggest questions for Smith's replacement will be how to handle quarterback. Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke are under contract for 2024 with Logan Woodside being a restricted free agent. Ridder has no guaranteed money on his rookie deal and Heinicke would be owed only $2 million in dead money with $7 million of cap savings.
Smith also went through two defensive coordinators, Dean Pees and Ryan Nielsen, the latter of which turned Atlanta into a formidable unit this season.
Blank and Fontenot now embark on a coaching search to try and turn around a franchise that has not finished the season with a winning record or made the playoffs since the 2017 season. The new head coach will be the seventh full-time coach in Blank's
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