The Atlanta Falcons are one of eight teams searching for a new head coach this offseason, but there's a real chance the madness isn't over yet. Teams like the Bucs, Packers, and Steelers culd still stun the NFL world and continue helping flip a wild coaching cycle upside down after the weekend.
The Falcons are no strangers to this situation though: mediocre seasons resulting in a regime change, but Arthur Blank is finally growing tired of the cycle. He's searching for a long-term fix to the coaching woes in Atlanta by hiring someone who can end the pathetic eight-year playoff drought.
Even though the candidates aren't as strong as last year's carousel, the 2026 coaching market boasts a solid crop of coaches, but there is a lot of competition for some of those big names, especially now that Mike McDaniel and John Harbaugh have been fired by the Dolphins and Ravens.
However, neither of those coaches could be the coach who makes dreams come true in Atlanta, but Kevin Stefanski can.
Kevin Stefanski could be the key to Matt LaFleur ending up in Atlanta
The Dirty Birds might finally be staring down the perfect solution to their coaching woes, and it all comes down to the two-time Coach of the Year. He's expected to have multiple suitors this offseason, but one of them could be a team who already has their head coach in place in the Green Bay Packers.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio suggested that if the No. 7 seeded Packers lose in the Wild Card Round to the Chicago Bears, they could consider parting ways with Matt LaFleur in favor of Stefanski. And if this happens, LaFleur would instantly skyrocket to the top of the Falcons' head coaching wish list.
The Packers have barely snuck into the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, but the 46-year-old is still one of the best head coaches in the modern NFL. In seven seasons in Green Bay, he's compiled an impressive 76-40-1 record and the Packers have missed the playoffs just once under his tutelage.
LaFleur is one of the best offensive minds in the modern NFL, and is one of the biggest success stories from the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree. Only Harbaugh would have a stronger track record of the coaches available this head coaching cycle, but he's nearly two decades younger.
LaFleur also spent two seasons as the Falcons' quarterbacks coach under Shanahan and Dan Quinn, so it wouldn't be overly difficult to get Arthur Blank on board, especially since he seems to prefer head coaching candidates with more experience after the Arthur Smith nightmare in Atlanta.
The Falcons' quarterback situation is far from ideal at the moment, but LaFleur helped develop Jordan Love into one of the best signal-callers in football. So even though Michael Penix Jr. has been disappointing thus far, there's no telling what magic LaFleur could help the 25-year-old tap into.
He's also shined in helping develop players like Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs into superstar talents, so if he's equipped with arguably superior weapons like Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson next season, the offensive struggles under Zac Robinson will officially be a distant memory.
Somehow, LaFleur has been on the hot seat for weeks, so should he become available, he'll obviously be coveted, but he should be the Falcons' top choice, and there's no ifs, ands, or buts about it.