Kyle Shanahan Backs Raheem Morris As Falcons Coach: ‘Way Past Due’

The Atlanta Falcons officially named Raheem Morris their new head coach on Thursday. 

While that news resulted in mixed reactions from the Falcons fan base, San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan believes Atlanta nailed its coaching choice.

“It’s way past due,” Shanahan told reporters Friday. “Raheem’s one of the best coaches I’ve been with. I got to work with him earlier in my career in Tampa. When I was young, I was trying to get my dad to hire him as a [defensive] coordinator. He ended up becoming a head coach so fast.”

Morris and Shanahan overlapped several times in their coaching careers, initially with Tampa Bay in 2004 and ‘05 when Shanahan was an offensive quality control coach and Morris led the defensive backs.

Raheem Morris and Kyle Shanahan coached together in Tampa Bay, Washington and Atlanta.

Kevork Djansezian/AP Photo

They reunited for two seasons in 2011 and ‘12 in Washington, and then again in Atlanta when Shanahan was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and ’16. Morris, who coached defense his entire career, flipped over to the offensive side of things as Atlanta’s assistant head coach and passing game coordinator.

“The fact that he was on defense his whole career and came to be our receiver coach, it was unbelievable how cool he was,” Shanahan said. “How good he did. Always tried to get him [to San Francisco] every single year.”

Now Morris, who was the head coach in Tampa Bay for three seasons (2009 to ‘11) and the interim head coach in Atlanta for 11 games in 2020, takes over the Falcons as the first Black head coach in franchise history.

“Raheem’s been one of the best,” Shanahan said. “He’s going to a hell of an organization, a good situation with good people. 

“I’m really happy for Atlanta that they got him, and more than happy for Raheem.”