The Atlanta Falcons have been in a bit of a lull on the head coaching front this week. They wrapped up their first round of interviews and their second round of interviews will soon begin. There doesn't seem to be a true frontrunner for the position, as several conflicting reports have surfaced this week.
Matt Ryan and Arthur Blank have conducted a widespread search, but a favorite might finally be emerging in Kevin Stefanski. Adam Schefter reported that the Falcons are kicking off their second round of interviews by bringing him into the facility later today, which is a pretty massive update.
Atlanta was calculating in arranging this interview, moving it up ahead of Kevin Stefanski’s scheduled interview Sunday with the Titans. Atlanta now gets the next, and potentially pivotal, meeting with Stefanski. https://t.co/M8s9u8L3MI
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 17, 2026
Schefter also revealed that the Falcons were calculating in planning this interview, since Stefanski's second interview with the Tennessee Titans is planned for tomorrow. That means that they could agree to a deal today, but Klint Kubiak's situation in Seattle is something the Ryan still has to consider.
Kevin Stefanski might be the runaway favorite to be the Falcons' next head coach
Dianna Russini backed up this report by saying that the 43-year-old has been behind the scenes working to assemble a potential coaching staff to present to the Falcons. Not much is known about this potential coaching staff, but Jeff Ulbrich would likely be retained as DC if Stefanski was the hire.
It was never a secret Stefanski was a serious candidate for a rookie executive who wants an experienced coach. After not calling plays the last two seasons, he would likely call plays in Atlanta and could be the polished, innovative offensive mind Michael Penix Jr. and this offense have needed.
The Dirty Birds have been pursuing experienced coaching candidates for a while now, and of those coaches, Stefanski is arguably the most qualified candidate. One could argue in Mike McDaniel's favor, but personally, I prefer Stefanski since he has a better track record with player development.
The two-time Coach of the Year took a Joe Flacco-led Browns team to the playoffs in 2023, and was the first coach in over 25 years to win a playoff game in Cleveland in 2020 after leading them to an 11-5 record. However, the Browns went 8-26 across his final two seasons, which isn't solely his fault.
The Deshaun Watson trade significantly handicapped the Browns, since he was a shell of himself after the year off and suspension. From there, he never really trusted Shedeur Sanders or Dylan Gabriel, and the rift between he and Jimmy Haslam got so big they had no choice but to fire him.
The one hiccup with this decision is the fact that if they really wanted to hire Stefanski, they could have by now. They don't have to wait for a playoff run to end and nothing's reallyholding them back, so if all goes well today, we can have a resolution on by late tonight or early tomorrow morning.