Part of what made the Atlanta Falcons' historic Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots as crushing as it was is the fact that this team was never able to get up off the mat. Once Kyle Shanahan left, Dan Quinn found it increasingly hard to replicate that level of offensive excellence.
The biggest problem Quinn made in replacing Shanahan as offensive coordinator was bringing in college coach Steve Sarkisian. Despite his quarterback background, Sarkisian oversaw a serious regression and was fired just two seasons later before retreating back to the collegiate level and eventually joining Texas as it's head coach.
Even with that, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler believes that Sarkisian may be gauging NFL interest despite denying it in October. "He has deep NFL ties after stints with the Falcons and Raiders over the years," Fowler said, "and he could easily gauge the market without being directly involved."
Sarkisian's pro experience might make him more valuable to some NFL teams than someone who is completely unproven, but if Falcons fans are asked about their former OC, there may not be too many positives attached to him purely from a professional perspective.
Former Falcons OC Steve Sarkisian may get another NFL offer this offseason
Hiring college coaches doesn't seem to be the hot-ticket thing to do right now. With Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman staying in college, it seems like teams don't want to possibly experience a repeat of what Urban Meyer and Matt Rhule oversaw in Jacksonville and Carolina.
Still, in a league that is crazy about quarterbacks, Sarkisian may have some appeal. The Longhorns finished in the top five in both 2023 and 2024, and they reeled off a nine-win season despite some big injuries this year. His work with Arch Manning and Quinn Ewers may get some teams interested.
The problem with Sark as a professional coach, as Falcons fans saw when he scored 11 fewer points per game in his first season when compared to Shanahan, is that he often demands players fit his specific system, which can lead to rigidity and frustration.
Some NFL team is inevitably going to make an out-of-the-box hire in this cycle, and Sarkisian would certainly qualify. However, if any fans across the country hear a booming laugh to the south, that will be the entire city of Atlanta losing their composure after hearing he got another chance.