The odds haven't necessarily been stacked in their favor, but that hasn't stopped the Atlanta Falcons in their pursuit of John Harbaugh. It's no secret that the Falcons' vacancy has a lot to offer, but multiple reports led fans to believe that Harbaugh preferred alternative head coaching opportunities.
However, it turns out that that's not true. Even though he's being selective about which interviews to pursue, it came out yesterday that Atlanta is near the top of his list alongside the New York Giants, and the belief is that whoever doesn't win the Harbaugh sweepstakes is likely to hire Kevin Stefanski.
The Super Bowl-winning head coach desires control and quarterback stability, and even though the Dirty Birds don't have either of those for him, he's still interested in the position. Even though the fit may not be great, it's clear that Harbaugh is intrigued about inheriting a roster with this much talent.
After being the first team to conduct an interview with him has them ascend from a potential afterthought in the Harbaugh sweepstakes to a likely frontrunner basically overnight.
John Harbaugh interview proves the Falcons' head coaching job is more desirable than many fans realize
The Falcons are still not out of the woods, as they still have to fend off the Giants, and there's also reports that Harbaugh is interested in the openings in Tennessee and Cleveland. It's also worth noting that he has yet to accept any other interviews, so all of this speculation could be moot in a few days.
With that said, it is telling that Harbaugh has this much interest in a job with a team with no long-term answer at QB, no cap space, and no 2026 first-round pick. Michael Penix Jr. comes with way more question marks than Cam Ward or Jaxson Dart, yet the 63-year-old isn't spooked by the red flags.
This roster is immediate built to compete in arguably the worst division in the NFL, so it makes sense. They nearly won the NFC South in back-to-back seasons, but coaching held them back, so there's no better man to help end the eight-year playoff drought than someone with Harbaugh's track record.
This team has a promising young QB, offensive cornerstones in Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts, and a good offensive line, but the defense is just as impressive. Jeff Ulbrich will likely be back to coach a unit with two budding star pass-rushers, a good linebacking core, and solid DBs.
And most of these pieces are still on their rookie contracts, so maybe this is no job, where there's an unquestioned quarterback in place, but Penix is in a position to shine with better coaching. And assuming Harbaugh brings Todd Monken with him to call plays, the Falcons' culture will reset overnight.