‘Serious Interest’ Who’s Hiring Arthur Smith?…

After three years together, the Atlanta Falcons sacked head coach Arthur Smith two and a half weeks ago, and both parties have since moved on. After putting together a thorough search for Smith’s replacement, the Falcons have examined up to fifteen applicants, with as many as ten of them obtaining follow-up interviews. Smith has also drawn interest from a long range of teams, The Athletic reports. The Athletic reports that “more than seven teams have expressed genuine interest in having former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith join their offensive staff as the offensive coordinator,” citing sources. “He’ll have choices.”

There were no particular teams mentioned in the report. The New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints are the eight teams that presently have openings for offensive coordinators. There are head coaching openings at several other teams, therefore Smith might be added to the staff by a new coach.

A few more, like the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions, might lose their offensive coordinator to head coaching openings, which would make room for Smith. Following a 48-17 defeat to the New Orleans Saints in the season finale, the Falcons fired Smith, capping Atlanta’s third 7-10 campaign in as many years. Related: Smith’s firing by the Falcons: “I Was Significantly Disappointed” In his final season as play caller, the Tennessee Titans’ offense finished second in yards and fourth in points. Smith, 41, gained notoriety as the offensive coordinator for the team in 2019 and 2020. In Smith’s final two seasons as a player, Atlanta had a top-10 rushing attack but failed at the pass, starting three different quarterbacks in that span: Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke.

The Falcons concluded the season at No. 26 in terms of points scored per game (18.9) and No. 17 in terms of yards per game (334.3). Related: Texans’ Slowik, Eye-Second Interview Leaves Falcons “Very Impressed” Smith now seems ready for another opportunity to lead an offense, and in the next few days, he might be subjected to a lot of interviews.