The Atlanta Falcons seemed to have learned from their mistake from hiring Arthur Smith to be their head coach after Dan Quinn, which the Kevin Stefanski hire confirmed. Because of Smith, Arthur Blank has reservations at inexperienced offensive minds, but he is a massive exception to the rule.
Since being fired by the Falcons, Smith's reputation hasn't taken as much of a hit as expected. He instantly landed an OC job with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he also disappointed, yet the Tennessee Titans are considering bringing the 42-year-old back to call plays under Robert Saleh.
The Titans continue to work through offensive coordinator options, with Kliff Kingsbury, Arthur Smith, Brian Daboll, Adam Stenavich and Bobby Slowik among the potential options, per sources. All have OC experience as Robert Saleh looks for the right man to work with QB Cam Ward.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 22, 2026
Now that they hired a defensive-minded coach, the Titans are aware they need a polished offensive coordinator to help develop 2025 No. 1 overall Cam Ward, but according to Tom Pelissero, Smith is on the shortlist alongside Brian Daboll, Kliff Kingsbury, Bobby Slowik, and Adam Stenavich.
If you look at that list, it would lead you to suggest that Smith doesn't have a shot to land this opportunity, but with how much Amy Adams Strunk and Titans' ownership loves him, there's a real shot he he returns to the team he spent most of his career with.
Ex-Falcons' head coach Arthur Smith is among the finalists for Titans' OC job
Smith's offensive track record is less-than-stellar, as he hasn't called a top 16 offense since leaving Tennessee after the 2020 season. He's also been the play-caller for offenses that ranked inside the bottom 10 in total offense in four of the last five seasons in both Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Yikes.
He's worked with talents like Drake London, Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and DK Metcalf and was only dragged to the playoffs these last two seasons by Mike Tomlin. In the Steelers' Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans, not only were they demolished, they were held to just six points on the game.
I understand Aaron Rodgers isn't exactly the MVP candidate who lit up the league a half-decade ago, but making him look this washed is bad. It's insane enough that he's a leading OC candidate, but it's even worse to learn he's received head coaching interviews with the Titans and Arizona Cardinals.
There have been reports that Daboll is the frontrunner for the Titans' OC position, but he's also now in play to become the next head coach of the Buffalo Bills after they fired Sean McDermott earlier this week because of his relationship with Josh Allen, which could catapult Smith atop their wish list.
Thankfully Stefanski knew better and stuck to his coaching tree for Atlanta's OC job rather than take a trip down memory lane.