Now that the Atlanta Falcons have fired Raheem Morris and officially hired Matt Ryan as their new president of football, the coaching search is in full force. The Falcons have started to conduct their opening head coaching interviews, while their GM search may reach a conclusion in the coming days.
The Dirty Birds have cast a wide net in their coaching search, but one of the names that has popped up most frequently is ex Baltimore Ravens' head coach John Harbaugh. After he was shockingly fired earlier this week, he instantly catapulted to the top of several teams' head coaching wish lists.
Just spoke with John Harbaugh who told me that while a ton of teams have reached out to him about their openings he’s going to take the weekend and narrow down to maybe 3 or 4 to go interview for rather than all across the board @NFLonFOX
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) January 10, 2026
Since eight jobs are open, the 63-year-old will reportedly be selective in which interviews he plans to take, but the Falcons' job could be intriguing to him. Since he's only planning to consider the best openings, this offseason it would be a surprise if he doesn't sit down with Arthur Blank in some capacity going forward.
Falcons might be facing an uphill battle to make John Harbaugh their next head coach
The Falcons, Giants, and Dolphins are believed to be the leaders in the pack for the Super Bowl-winning head coach, but Dianna Russini reported that the Titans could be a dark horse in the Harbaugh sweepstakes, as he clearly seems to value quarterback stability with his next destination.
Unfortunately, this team's QB situation doesn't seem to hold a candle to Jaxson Dart in New York or Cam Ward in Tennessee, but that doesn't mean that Michael Penix Jr. is bad. The injury history is alarming, but Penix still has the talent to shine with these weapons with the right coaching staff.
John Harbaugh is spending today and the next few days watching film specifically on quarterbacks Jaxson Dart and Cam Ward. He’s also been in contact with team decision makers, while continuing to communicate with potential members of his own coaching staff.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) January 10, 2026
Harbaugh has reportedly been doing his homework on both Ward and Dart, but New York still feels like the most likely destination, since their roster is better. Blank said it best earlier this week when he admitted the Falcons hope to talk with him, but isn't sure if their interest in him is mutual.
We saw how coaching changes helped fellow 2024 first-rounders Caleb Williams and Drake Maye improve this season, so it's not unreasonable to suggest the 25-year-old could need the same. He clearly wasn't a fit for Zac Robinson's scheme, but Penix is still salvageable due to his lack of starting experience and obvious arm talent.
In the case of a coach with a track record of generating results like Harbaugh, it would theoretically be a perfect fit in a weak division. By the looks of it, he's interested in inheriting this talented roster, but he will (understandably) have reservations about the evident question marks under center.
It's clear that Harbaugh desires a lot of control over his situation, and that's not something the Falcons should provide, especially when Klint Kubiak or Mike McDaniel could be hires better suited to handle Penix's development.