Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski as new head coach

FLOWERY BRANCH — Kevin Stefanski, the former coach of the Cleveland Browns, has been named the new coach of the Falcons, the team announced Saturday night.

Browns cornerback Denzel Ward, a five-time Pro Bowler, applauded the hiring.

“That’s cool,” Ward told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’m happy for him. I think coach Stefanski is a great coach. I think he’s going to do good things over there for Atlanta. I wish him nothing but the best.”

Stefanski had command of the Browns’ locker room.

“He was great,” Ward said about Stefanski’s locker room presence. “He’s a player’s coach and guy that the players really respected. I think he’s going to do well over there.”

The Falcons fulfilled the requirements of the Rooney Rule and are in compliance with league requirements, according to the team.

Teams seeking to fill an open head coach position must conduct an in-person interview with at least two external candidates who are persons of color and/or women for the position, according to league rules.

Head coach interviews conducted virtually do not satisfy Rooney Rule requirements.

While the Falcons have announced nine completed interviews, they did not state which ones were in-person or virtual.

The Falcons met Stefanski on Saturday. He was the first candidate to have a second interview for the position that became open when Raheem Morris was fired on Jan. 4.

Stefanski, 43, was the head coach of the Browns from 2020 to 2025. He led the Browns to the playoffs after the 2020 and 2023 seasons. He was named coach of the year twice, in 2020 and 2023.

Before taking over the Browns, Stefanski was with the Vikings for 14 seasons, where he worked with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2018 and 2019.

He was the offensive coordinator with the Vikings in 2019 when Cousins was voted to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.

Stefanski, a native of Philadelphia, played defensive back at Penn (2000-04) in the Ivy League.

He was the assistant director of football operations at Penn before getting hired by the Vikings’ coach at the time, Brad Childress.

He was the assistant to the head coach (2006-08), assistant quarterbacks coach (2009-13), tight ends coach (2014-15), running backs coach (2016), quarterbacks coach (2017-18), interim offensive coordinator (part of 2018) and offensive coordinator (2019).

During his time with the Browns, the team moved on from quarterback Baker Mayfield and traded him to the Panthers in July 2022.

The Browns then outbid the Falcons and Panthers for quarterback Deshaun Watson by guaranteeing a four-year, $230 million contract.

Watson’s time with the Browns was marred by injuries, as Stefanski had Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco, Jameis Winston and Shedeur Sanders as the team’s leading passers over his final four seasons.

The Browns were 8-26 over the past two seasons. Stefanski finished with a 45-56 record (.446).

Stefanski met with Falcons leadership, including owner and chairman, Arthur M. Blank, Saturday night in Atlanta.

He becomes the 20th head coach in Falcons history and will report to the team’s president of football, Matt Ryan.

“We’re thrilled to land a lead-by-example leader in Kevin Stefanski who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a closely aligned focus on building this team on fundamentals, toughness and active collaboration with every area of the football operation,” said Ryan.

“Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture. His experience in Cleveland and Minnesota has given him a great understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, personnel and the rest of the football staff to maximize talent across the roster and in doing everything possible to put our players in the best position to succeed.

“Kevin’s style of leadership, combined with the staff and infrastructure in place here in Atlanta, gives us confidence in our shared vision for the team and we are excited to have him as the leader of our football team.”

Stefanski was elated to land the job.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise,” Stefanski said. “I am grateful to Mr. Blank and Matt Ryan for trusting me to coach this football team and there are many talented players on our roster that I cannot wait to coach. We share a vision for this football team that I believe will make Falcons fans everywhere proud. We will get to work immediately putting together a first-class coaching staff and working hard to get to know all the great people that are so important to getting us all where we want to go.”

Stefanski and his wife Michelle are both Philadelphia natives and they have three children, Juliette, Will and Gabe.

Owner Arthur Blank was happy to complete the search.

“In Kevin Stefanski, we have found a coach with the right vision, focus and demeanor to lead our team into the future. From all our research and a wonderful visit with him tonight, I believe he is the right coach to take the talent on our roster to a new level and to work with Matt, our new GM and all our football personnel to build on the strong foundation in place and take it to new heights,” Blank said.

“He has a great plan for his staff, and he’s learned many things during his stops in Cleveland and Minnesota that have prepared him for this moment. Our objective is to win games and contend for championships every year and that is where our shared focus will remain. We are committed to putting all necessary support and resources around Coach Stefanski to achieve that success and the work has already begun.”

The Falcons also interviewed: