The Atlanta Falcons' head coaching search was off to a slow start after firing Raheem Morris, but things are finally ramping up now that they found their first-ever president of football. Matt Ryan was the heavy favorite for the position Arthur Blank created for him, so Blank finally made things official Saturday morning.
Since Ryan was the heavy frontrunner from the get go, they wasted no time getting things started. They already interviewed Klint Kubiak and Anthony Weaver, but the Falcons also caught many by surprise by conducting an interview with Seahawks' DC Aden Durde for their head coaching position.
The Falcons requested an interview with Seahawks DC Aden Durde for their head coaching job, per source. His second request.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2026
Durde has emerged as a rapid riser in coaching circles, as he and Mike Macdonald have turned around the Seattle defense practically overnight. The 46-year-old also received an interview request from the Cleveland Browns, so it's clear the interest in him this head coaching cycle is genuine.
Falcons request to interview Aden Durde for head coach opening in Matt Ryan's first move as president of football
The Seahawks' defense allowed the least points per game this season and ranked sixth in total defense, which helped them finish as the top seed in the NFC. Durde's unit also ranked in the top 10 in both sacks and takeaways, which kept them in games when Sam Darnold and the offense struggled.
Something that many Falcons fans are underestimating is the fact Macdonald, not Durde, calls plays for the defense. While he's still a fantastic defensive mind, it's hard to feel super comfortable about this interview request when he doesn't have any level of NFL play-calling experience under his belt.
Durde has ties to the Falcons' organization. In 2016, he joined Dan Quinn's coaching staff in Atlanta via the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship, and remained on staff through the 2020 season, when Quinn was fired, and followed him to Dallas after he was hired as the Cowboys' DC.
As we all know, Blank loves coaches with ties to the organization, and Durde is someone who coached Ryan for multiple seasons. This move also means that the Falcons will speak to both Seattle coordinators this cycle, but I would expect Kubiak to be the more serious candidate between them.
Coaches who don't call plays are incredibly hit-or-miss in the modern NFL, as finding someone like Nick Sirianni or John Harbaugh is incredibly rare. That's not to say he isn't capable of being a quality head coach, but there are question marks about which coaches he would bring as his coordinators.
Kubiak is an early head coach favorite, so interviewing Durde suggests he could follow him to Atlanta as the new defensive coordinator. For those worried about losing Jeff Ulbrich, he and Durde both worked under Quinn and run modern schemes where player versatility helps disguise coverages.
Since Durde is British, he doesn't come with a wealth of NFL experience since he got his start coaching in his home country. That said, he might still be a year away from making waves in coaching circles, but regardless it's telling that he was Ryan's first interview request as the president of football.