John Harbaugh bombshell saw Falcons lose out on perfect Zac Robinson replacement

For as much as missing out on John Harbaugh stings, at least Atlanta Falcons fans knew it was always going to be an uphill battle to pull this one off. Beating what the New York Giants were going to offer him was always going to be a tough ask, but at least the Harbaugh sweepstakes are finally over.

Losing out on the Super Bowl-winning head coach before Arthur Blank ever got him in the building is demoralizing enough, but that's not the worst part of seeing him land with the Giants. Knowing that ex-Ravens' OC Todd Monken will likely be following him to New York to call plays is very disappointing.

This was likely to happen, but that doesn't make it any less disappointing. Monken was one of the best play-callers in football across his last three seasons in Baltimore, but before that he spent time calling plays for Georgia football, which isn't too far down the road from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

John Harbaugh going to New York dashed any little hope of Todd Monken coming to Atlanta

The 59-year-old's days in Athens saw him emerge as one of the nation's best assistant coaches, as he helped lead the Bulldogs to two national championships while starting Stetson Bennett at QB. If you consider that, there's no telling what he could've accomplished with Michael Penix Jr. in Atlanta.

Once he made the jump to Baltimore, Monken's play-calling helped lead Lamar Jackson to an MVP season in his first season—and he nearly won the award again in his second season. The only reason he didn't is because of voter fatigue, even though Jackson had a better year than Josh Allen in 2024.

Instead of working with Penix, he'll spend 2026 molding Jaxson Dart into one of the league's best young QBs. Zac Robinson's offense was never a fit for the 25-year-old, so Atlanta has been looking into hiring offensive minds to help him take a Caleb Williams-like leap under a new coaching staff.

However, even if he wasn't following Harbaugh to New York, it's no guarantee the Dirty Birds would have actually been his next destination. For as much talent as the offense boasts, the Eagles, Lions, Chargers, and Bucs all have OC openings where a play-caller would be equipped with more talent.

Then again, ex-head coaches Mike McDaniel and Kevin Stefanski could be in play for some of these openings, but Robinson could garner consideration too. But if Monken were being considered among these candidates, his experience would make him one of the most sought-after play-callers available.

This means it's back to the drawing board at OC, but that likely won't come until they hire a head coach anyways.