There was hope until there wasn't. The New York Giants may have let John Harbaugh leave the building, but it still didn't take long for them to agree to a deal to make him their next head coach, which dashed the hopes and dreams of Atlanta Falcons fans everywhere who hoped for Harbaugh.
The Giants were willing to pay top dollar, pull out all the stops, and jump through practically every hoop required to get this deal done, so Harbaugh was never going to end up in Atlanta. Yes, they were up there in his list, but this was New York's battle to lose after he visited their facility earlier today.
The Falcons' chances didn't seem relatively high, but at least there was a glimmer of hope. It seemed pretty inevitable he was going to end up in New York, but it at least would've been nice if Arthur Blank and Matt Ryan got to sit down with the 63-year-old, but even that was too much to ask apparently.
This means Dirty Birds are back to square one in their coaching endeavors, but it's not all bad. They still boast one of the most attractive head coaching jobs available, and they have already spoken to a good number of quality candidates, so it should be easy for Blank and Ryan to bounce back from this.
Falcons must pivot to Kevin Stefanski and Klint Kubiak after John Harbaugh is hired by Giants
Now that the Super Bowl-winning head coach is off the market, it means that the biggest domino on the coaching market has officially fallen, so expect a major ripple effect to follow. And that starts and ends in Atlanta, who looked to be the runners-up behind the Giants in the Harbaugh sweepstakes since their roster is built to compete immediately.
Now that he's not available, it feels likely that the Falcons will turn to other experienced head coaching candidates, especially on offense. The main names to watch are Mike McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski, but don't be shocked if Klint Kubiak forces his name into the discussion going forward.
As a two-time Coach of the Year in Cleveland, Stefanski got off to a hot start, but things fizzled out across the last two seasons. As for McDaniel, he took the Dolphins to the playoffs in his first two years, but things went awry after Tua Tagovailoa went fired and Miami fired GM Chris Grier midseason.
Both of those coaches are polished offensive minds who could help Michael Penix Jr. live up to his potential, especially given he's set up for success in this offense. Kubiak would be more able to use this talent more creatively ala Ben Johnson, but Stefanski is a better coach than he gets credit for.
The Falcons' head coaching search just took a massive turn, so it's imperative that the front office gets a deal done with one of these frontrunners, although Stefanski and Kubiak are preferred.