The John Harbaugh sweepstakes are officially over, and the Atlanta Falcons just missed out. Even though he left the Giants' facility without a deal after yesterday's visit, they still got a deal done, which was mainly because they were willing to stop at nothing to bring him to New York, unlike Arthur Blank.
Now, Blank and rookie executive Matt Ryan must start to pursue other top coaching candidates. Before Harbaugh was fired, the Falcons were heavily linked to ex-Browns' head coach Kevin Stefanski, and that could be picking up steam since they clearly covet an experienced offensive-minded coach.
Jordan Schultz reported that the Dirty Birds are regarded one of the most attractive head coaching jobs in league circles because of an exciting young roster and a new leadership group that is likely to be on the same page, then revealed he's heard a lot of buzz connecting Stefanski to the opening
The #Falcons have a very attractive job with a young roster and a leadership group (president, GM, and HC) that will all be on the same page coming in together.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 14, 2026
Kevin Stefanski’s name has come up a lot here, but the search is still in its early stages. pic.twitter.com/Cwt0g4GRO3
"The Falcons are viewed by many people I've talked to as the most attractive job, along with Baltimore... I do expect Atlanta to be targeting an offensive-minded coach. I've heard a lot of Kevin Stefanski here."Jordan Schultz
However, Schultz' report came with a caveat. He followed up his statement by reminding fans that it's still very early in Atlanta's coaching search, and a lot can change across the next few days, but now that the Harbaugh domino has finally fallen, Stefanski and Klint Kubiak are the early frontrunners.
Kevin Stefanski is emerging as the frontrunner to be the next Falcons' head coach
Schultz added that the organization wants to keep Jeff Ulbrich as DC, which would go well with the allure of targeting an experienced offensive mind like Stefanski. They even blocked Ulbrich from taking other DC interviews to keep him in line to potentially join the Falcons' coaching staff.
The 43-year-old isn't a name who has picked up a ton of buzz, but he's believed to be near the top of Atlanta's list. Stefanski and Kubiak are the two main offensive-minded candidates who have been most linked to the Falcons, because both could run an offense built for Michael Penix Jr. to succeed.
Schultz' report backs up recent words from SNY's Connor Hughes that revealed that between the Giants and Falcons, whoever didn't win the Harbaugh sweepstakes was likely to pivot to the two-time Coach of the Year as their backup plan. So the timing of this report is certainly no coincidence either.
Stefanski's last two seasons in Cleveland were a bit rough, but that was once he stopped calling plays. He's capable of assembling a solid coaching staff, so even though he may not be the flashiest name available, he would be a solid bet to help the Falcons return to the playoffs.