What needs to happen for the Atlanta Falcons to extend Dan Quinn’s contract

The Atlanta Falcons announced Friday, before the Week 17 matchup, that head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff will both be returning to the Atlanta Falcons in 2020.

While it is not a shock that the Atlanta Falcons will retain Dan Quinn, it is met with a lot of confusion as to why Thomas Dimitroff will stay as well. There are also suggestions that they are a package deal.

Amidst the official word of their retention, it is also stated that Dan Quinn will appoint Raheem Morris to be the defensive coordinator effective immediately after the Week 17 matchup against Tampa Bay.

While there has been no official word on offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter and his future with the team, it is believed that Quinn will plan to keep him around.

So what are the expectations for 2020 and what will need to happen for Dan Quinn to get a new contract – which officially makes 2020 a do or die year for this Atlanta Falcons team.

It is 100 percent certain that once the Atlanta Falcons are eliminated from playoff contention in 2020, that Dan Quinn is gone, along with Dimitroff. There is no possibility that Quinn gets a new contract after three losing seasons.

In my humble opinion, anything less than an NFC Championship game appearance isn’t enough to get a new contract. However, it is not often that cut and dry, and a lot of the times it is how you get there.

There are numerous scenarios that need to be considered.

For example, if the Falcons sneak into the postseason at a measly 9-7 or around that range, is simply getting to the postseason enough?

What if the Atlanta Falcons do in fact win the NFC South and are one and done in either the wildcard or divisional round? This is assuming that the Falcons get a bye with a good enough record.

Another unlikely but also likely scenario, what if the NFC South turns into the NFC West of 2019 and AFC West of 2018? If the Atlanta Falcons get the 5th seed at a 12-4 record but lose to a far inferior opponent in the wildcard, will that send Dan Quinn packing?

With what will be considered as Drew Brees farewell season – assuming he doesn’t call it quits after this season when his contract runs out – this makes this scenario probable because why wouldn’t the Saints go 13-3 or have a tiebreaker of some sorts to win the division.

While there are a great number of scenarios that could play out in 2020, one thing is for certain. If the Atlanta Falcons have a start like they did in 2019, Dan Quinn will not see the bye week.

It goes without saying that a Super Bowl appearance will give him a new contract, no matter the path taken to get there.

I am a fan like all of you, I don’t believe in tanking and I don’t feel these games are meaningless. While they may seem meaningless in regards to the 2019 season – as you can now see – these “meaningless” games have directly impacted our 2020 season.

If the Atlanta Falcons can end the second half of the season 6-2, this bodes well with building for 2020 and riding off the momentum built over the course of these final eight weeks.