Falcons hire OC Titans Arthur Smith as next head coach

The Atlanta Falcons announced that they have hired Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as their next team head coach. Smith has spent the past 10 seasons in Tennessee working his way from offensive and defensive quality control coach to his current role.

Smith was a hot head coach candidate this offseason after the job he has done with Ryan Tannehill since becoming the Titans quarterback in Week 7 of the 2019 season. Tannehill is first in the season. league in yards per attempt (8.5), third in touchdowns (550) and third in passer rating (111.3) among NFL quarterbacks since becoming the Titans holder – some of the best numbers in the NFL at the position. Derrick Henry has led the NFL with 3,565 rushing yards over the past two seasons (875 more than runner-up Dalvin Cook). The Titans offense was tied for second in total yards per game (396.4) and fourth in points per game (30.7) in 2020 under Smith.

The North Carolina native is the son of FedEx founder Frederick W. Smith. Teams looking for a CEO-like leader would have found a natural fit in calling it the Titans. He is likely moving to Atlanta to work for Home Depot founder Arthur Blank.

Tennessee’s season ended in the Super Wild-Card Round against the Ravens, so Smith was free to explore other opportunities.

Atlanta made the decision to switch from head coach Dan Quinn in October after the team’s first 0-5 start since 1997. Raheem Morris accepted the interim role and led the team to a 4-12. They are also in the middle of a search for a CEO.

The NFL saw a series of moves this week as the Jets nominated 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh as their next head coach and the Jaguars hired Urban Meyer to be their next head coach. The Eagles, Chargers, Texans and Lions all still have vacant head coaching positions.