The Atlanta Falcons may have fired Raheem Morris less than 24 hours ago, but that doesn't change the fact that they're wasting no time to find his successor. The expectation was that Arthur Blank was going to wait until the hire of Matt Ryan to the front office was official, but this evidently isn't the case.
Now that the Falcons have a likely president of football operations in waiting, they have started to do due diligence on the head coaching crop this cycle. And that led Blank and Ryan to waste no time zeroing in on a top target, as they requested to interview Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak for the position.
The Falcons requested an interview with Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak for their head coaching job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 5, 2026
At the conclusion of the regular season, the Seahawks' 14-3 record is among the biggest surprises of the year. They also own the top seed in the NFC right now, which is mainly due to an elite defense led by Mike Macdonald, but Kubiak's offense has been just as complicit in the dream season in Seattle.
Klint Kubiak has emerged a top candidate to become the Falcons' next head coach
The 38-year-old has done a masterful job working with Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense this season, as the Rams and Patriots averaged more points per game this year, which is no small feat. And they are near the top of the NFL in virtually every offensive statistic from a yardage standpoint.
Despite being cast off by the Vikings last offseason, Darnold ranked fifth in the NFL in passing yards in his first season in Seattle, which was aided by Kubiak's play-calling. His zone running scheme helped open up the play-action game, which is an area where the 28-year-old often thrived in 2025.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba also cemented himself as one of the best pass-catchers in the NFL with a breakout season in 2025, as he and Darnold have one of the best QB-WR connections in the league, and their rapport was something Kubiak consistently took advantage of throughout the season.
It's no secret that Darnold's decision-making has left a lot to be desired, but Kubiak's offense has thrived in spite of it. Both Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet helped the run game shine, so there's no telling what he's capable of in an offense where superstar Bijan Robinson is his lead back.
He'll also have Drake London and Kyle Pitts (assuming he is retained) at his disposal in Atlanta, which is undoubtedly a better supporting cast than he has in Seattle despite how elite JSN is. He fielded an elite offense starting Cooper Kupp and Rashid Shaheed, so he has to be the top candidate here.
They also requested to interview Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, but given his scheme tends to employ a lot of play-action looks and thrived in both New Orleans and Seattle, hiring Kubiak would get the most out of Michael Penix Jr.'s skillset and ignite an offense that desperately needs it.