A quick look at the candidates the Falcons bypassed for head coach in 2024

FLOWERY BRANCH — When the Falcons parted ways with Arthur Smith in 2023, after three 7-10 seasons, with the aid of technology, they conducted an exhaustive search for his replacement.

Upon completion of the interview process, 14 candidates, at varying stages of their careers and from the offense and defense, were interviewed.

Two of the candidates will face off when the Falcons (4-8) host the Seahawks (9-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Raheem Morris, who was the defensive coordinator with the Rams, landed the job, while Mike Macdonald, who was Baltimore’s defensive coordinator, was named Seattle’s coach in January 2024.

Smith, who is the offensive coordinator with the Steelers, was let go with three years remaining on his contract.

“Football is our business,” Morris said. “Winning is our job. That’s just what it is. It’s a Mike Tomlin-ism of all Mike Tomlin-isms, but that’s just the truth of it all and the truth of the matter. Football is definitely our business, but winning is our job and we’ve got to go out there and do that.”

The start of Morris’ tenure was excellent.

The Falcons jumped to a 6-3 record, which included wins over the Eagles and two over the Bucs. Fans were Swag Surfin’ during the games.

The Falcons had another good start this season. They were 3-2 and had a big win over Buffalo on “Monday Night Football.”

In Week 10 of last season, things took a turn after quarterback Kirk Cousins was injured against the Saints. He continued to play with an injured shoulder and elbow.

After the good start this season, the Falcons dropped five consecutive games and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. suffered a season-ending knee injury in the fifth loss, to Carolina.

Since the 6-3 start under the widely-respected Morris, the Falcons have gone 6-14 and are fighting to keep their faint playoff hopes (less than 1% according to the New York Times simulator) alive. The Seahawks went 10-7 and missed the playoffs last season.

This year, Macdonald, who played at Centennial High, has the Seahawks tied for first place with the Rams in the NFC West.

Former New England coach Bill Belichick was the Falcons’ top target at the start of the search, but the parties could not work out an agreement. He went on to accept the head coaching position at the University of North Carolina.

Morris was next in line for the job.

“The end goal is always (the) playoffs to start the season, but that just feels very far away at this point,” Morris said. “How do you compartmentalize and kind of get these guys — I don’t want to say motivated necessarily because they are professionals, because it’s their job. But how do you approach this as a head coach?”

As things have not gone as planned, Morris continues to protect his players as the miscues have mounted.

“I love taking the bullets from my guys,” Morris said. “I do. That’ll never change, right? It’s like when a guy makes a mistake, what can I do better to help him? That’s the way we look at it as coaches, that’s the way we look at it as players and that’s completely fine.”

Morris construes that approach as being accountable.

“We’re entertainers and our jobs are to entertain, but at the same time, like finger-pointing and absolutely being honest with each other is two different things,” Morris said. “I’ll always be honest. I’m never going to point fingers.”

Here’s a look at how the 13 interviewees are doing this season:

Belichick: The Tar Heels finished their season 4-8 and were not bowl-eligible.

Belichick was named a 2026 finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for the coach category Wednesday. He led the Patriots to six Super Bowl victories, including Super Bowl 51 over the Falcons.

Belichick finished his head coaching career with an overall record of 333-178 — second only to Hall of Famer Don Shula’s 347 career NFL victories — and won 31 of 44 games (.705) in the playoffs.

Macdonald: Has the Seahawks in contention for a playoff berth and the NFC West title.

Steve Wilks: He is the defensive coordinator of the Jets, who defeated the Falcons last week. He had a virtual interview with the Falcons.

Jim Harbaugh: He took the San Diego job before the Falcons completed their search.

He guided the Chargers to an 11-6 record and the playoffs last season. They lost in the wild-card round.

The Chargers are 8-4 and two games behind Denver (10-2) in the AFC West.

Brian Callahan: He took the Titans job before the Falcons completed their process. He was fired earlier this season.

He guided the Titans to a 3-14 mark last season. He was fired after a 1-5 start this season.

Mike Vrabel: He spent the 2024 season as a coaching and personnel consultant to the Cleveland Browns. He landed the Patriots head coaching job and has them off to an 11-2 start this season, the best record in the NFL.

Eijro Evero: He is the Panthers defensive coordinator, and they are off to a surprising 7-6 start with two victories over the Falcons. His unit is ranked 18th overall in yards allowed and 15h in scoring at 22.8 points allowed.

Anthony Weaver: He had an virtual interview. He’s the defensive coordinator for the Dolphins, who beat the Falcons 34-10 on Oct. 26. The Dolphins are 5-7 and fired their general manager earlier this season.

Aaron Glenn: He had a virtual interview. Glenn helped Detroit get to the playoffs last season. The former NFL cornerback landed the New York Jets coach. They are off to a 3-9 start, with a 27-24 victory over the Falcons.

Brian Johnson: He is the assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator for the Commanders. He helped with the development of quarterback Jayden Daniels, and last season Washington reached the NFC championship game.

Bobby Slowik: He was fired as the Texans offensive coordinator after the 2024 season. He is with the Dolphins as the senior pass-game coordinator.