Kevin Stefanski has officially been introduced as the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and it didn’t take him long to point out how special this opportunity is to him. During his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Atlanta’s new head coach made it clear that the Falcons are the team he wanted to land with.
Stefanski explained that the job, and city of Atlanta, had a special pull for him. While praising the roster and rising stars on both sides of the ball, the head coach pointed out that recently appointed President of football Matt Ryan, and team owner Arthur Blank both played a big part in the pull he felt to Atlanta.
"I'm beyond thrilled to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons" pic.twitter.com/aJKQ3qbnu5
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 27, 2026
Kevin Stefanski says Falcons are who he wanted to land with
It’s no secret that the relationship between Matt Ryan and Kevin Stefanski is a big reason why Atlanta decided to move forward with Stefanski as the team’s head coach. The veteran coach acknowledged that reality multiple times throughout the press conference, emphasizing how excited he is to work alongside Ryan. The former Falcons quarterback shared that excitement, and added that the franchise is still looking for one more important person, a general manager, to join their partnership.
The trio will be tasked with building Atlanta into a contender. Unlike most teams going through a complete reset, the Falcons aren’t starting from the ground. The team finished 8-9 the last two seasons, and the 8-9 finish in 2025 was considered an underwhelming year. That’s because Atlanta is loaded with talent on both sides of the ball. While there are a few question marks along the lineup, the team has enough to win the NFC South and contend in the playoffs.
The Falcons are hoping Kevin Stefanski is the right leader who can maximize the roster’s talent. There have been concerns about his ability to do that, because he only won eight total games in his last two seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Stefanski acknowledged his struggles in Cleveland, and emphasized that every season has provided him with great lessons, especially the bad seasons. He’ll now try to put all the lessons he’s learned into play, and lead the Falcons to success.