Falcons have John Harbaugh on their head coach radar
FLOWERY BRANCH — Plans for an in-person interview with former Ravens coach John Harbaugh will be set later this week.
The Falcons, Giants and Titans have emerged as contenders from the coach who guided the Ravens for the past 18 seasons and led them to the playoffs 12 times. The Dolphins and Browns also are in the mix.
The Falcons announced that they interviewed Harbaugh on Monday. His camp terms the call with Matt Ryan as “informal” talks over the phone.
Ryan, the new president of football, is leading the search to replace Raheem Morris. The Giants have pulled out former quarterback Eli Manning to help them, according to longtime journalist Gary Myers.
The Falcons also are looking to replace general manager Terry Fontenot.
“The best of the best find ways to get to common ground,” Ryan said. “As we go through both of these searches, both the head coach and the GM, as we’re going along that lane at the same time, that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking to find two people that we feel like are excellent in their role and what they’re asked to do but also can provide a really strong working relationship together.”
The Giants also have a young offensive nucleus of quarterback Jaxson Dart, running back Cameron Skattebo and wide receiver Malik Nabers. They also have Brian Burns, one of the top pass rushers in the league who had 16.5 sacks last season.
The Titans are touting quarterback Cam Ward, a bushel of draft picks and over $100 million in salary-cap space.
The Falcons have quarterback Michael Penix Jr., running back Bijan Robinson and receivers Kyle Pitts and Drake London. The Falcons also have pass rushers James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker.
Penix and Skattebo are coming off injuries.
What if the Falcons are enamored with Harbaugh, but he is cool on Penix being the quarterback of the future. Also, Kirk Cousins is under contract with the Falcons still.
“That’s what I’m saying, that’s a whole other thing,” former Falcons great Roddy White told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “You’ve got to get some people that want this quarterback. You’ve got two quarterbacks. … What if the coach says ‘I don’t want neither one of these guys.’ You’ve got to start over.”
Starting over at quarterback would be problematic.
“You can’t do that,” White said. “That’s what people don’t understand. When somebody comes in and they are going to take a job, it’s like Chicago, Ben Johnson came in and said, ‘Look, I want this, this and this. If I can’t get this, I don’t want the job.’”
If they lock in on Harbaugh, he’ll likely need input on the general manager.
“If you are locked in on a candidate, even with the GM down there in Jacksonville,” White said. “Didn’t he get fired because the coach wanted (someone else)?”
Former NFL coach Tony Dungy, a Hall of Famer, told the AJC that he believes the quarterback position can be over-scrutinized.
“Everybody focusing on (the quarterback) and that, to me, is silly,” Dungy said. “I can remember when I went to (Tampa Bay), everybody was saying ‘Don’t go to Tampa, it’s a bad spot.’ You can say, ‘Don’t go to Detroit because you’ve got an aging quarterback.’ Then you make a trade and you’ve got Jared Goff. All of that can change.”
The hiring of Ryan was key for the Falcons’ future.
“To me it’s what is the organization like?” Dungy said. “What is the vision? What opportunity are you going to have and do you mesh with the vision of the people that are running (the team)? To me Atlanta, getting Matt Ryan, if he’s going to be in charge of the football side, that changes a lot of things.”
Falcons owner Arthur Blank has discussed a clarity of vision of how the football team wants to play.
“Do I have the same vision that Matt Ryan has and is Matt Ryan going to bring in a good vision to this program,” Dungy said. “That to me, is more important than anything if I was looking at it.”
There are no clear connections with Harbaugh and the Falcons.
Former Falcons defensive end Chuck Smith worked on Harbaugh’s staff in Baltimore for the past three seasons as the outside linebackers coach.
Former Marist and Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton was drafted by the Ravens and developed into a two-time All-Pro.
Before becoming a head coach, Harbaugh was a special teams coordinator. The Falcons struggled on special teams last season.
In addition to Harbaugh, the Falcons have completed interviews for their coaching job with Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, ex-Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and ex-Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel.
The Falcons also requested permission to interview Green Bay defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Hafley is available because of the Packers’ loss to the Bears on Saturday. He is the former head coach at Boston College (2020-23). He’s also coached with the Buccaneers, Browns and 49ers.
Saleh could be reunited with Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich if he lands the job. Saleh was head coach of the Jets (2021-24), and Ulbrich was his defensive coordinator.
In addition to the Falcons, there are eight other openings: Browns, Cardinals, Dolphins, Giants, Raiders, Ravens, Steelers and Titans.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
