Falcons fans bid good riddance as franchise fires Arthur Smith - "Enjoy unemployment," "Bijan Robinson is free"

The Atlanta Falcons are cleaning house again.

Literally, in the early minutes of what has been deemed "Black Monday," multiple sources reported that the NFC South team was firing head coach Arthur Smith after three straight 7-10 campaigns. He joined in 2021 after ten seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he served in various roles, including offensive coordinator, wherein he turned Derrick Henry into one of the most dominant rushers in the league.

In a statement, owner Arthur Blank said:

"We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations."

Meanwhile, there was much jubilation from Falcons fans, who had chafed at Smith's mishandling of the likes of Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson.

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Falcons’ options to succeed Arthur Smith as head coach

The search for the Atlanta Falcons’ next head coach is officially on. And according to Michael Rothstein, the team’s ESPN insider, there are some intriguing options for general manager Terry Fontenot.

The first, most obvious, and biggest prize is Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. After being ousted from the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 amidst a power struggle, he has made it a point to prove his worth to prospective NFL teams, and in 2023-24 he can be said to have succeeded at that task, taking the Wolverines to the college title game.

Bill Belichick, despite his advanced age, recent poor records, and potential departure from the New England Patriots, is also one worth keeping an eye on. So is recent Las Vegas Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce, who went 5-4 and led a brief defensive turnaround (16.3 points allowed per game and four defensive touchdowns, both league-bests).

But if the Falcons want more youth, they may make a maneuver for Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. If hired, he will inherit an offensive core that closely resembles the one he currently has in the Great Lakes: a No. 1 receiver (Amon-Ra St. Brown/Drake London), No. 1 tight end (Sam LaPorta/Kyle Pitts), and dynamic running back duo (David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs/Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson).