Los Angeles Chargers Fire Brandon Staley; Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Next?
The Los Angeles Chargers are making a coaching change after firing Brandon Staley on Friday.
Staley becomes the third coach to be fired midseason after Josh McDaniels (Las Vegas Raiders) and Frank Reich (Carolina Panthers) were relieved of their duties.
With Staley gone, it begs the question of who could be the next to lose his job, and it could be Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith.
The Falcons (6-7) are below .500 through 13 games, as they've been at this stage in each of coach Arthur Smith's three years at the helm.
This season was expected to be different, with the Falcons spending $190 million in free agency and boasting their third consecutive top-10 draft pick ... but their record remains in the same range.
Atlanta's deadlocked in a three-way tie with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints for first place in the NFC South and a five-way tie for the final wildcard spot, meaning a playoff berth remains firmly achievable.
But the bigger question at hand is this: is Smith coaching for his job?
Per ESPN, an additional head coach opening could emerge in the NFC South - but it's not expected to be in Atlanta.
"The sense I get after asking around is that Arthur Smith is safe in Atlanta, barring a late-season collapse," ESPN writes.
Internal buzz this summer was that Smith needed a disastrous campaign to lose his job, with Falcons owner Arthur Blank understanding the cap-stricken difficulties of the past two years and remaining committed to giving time to build.
Nov 26, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on the sideline against the New Orleans Saints in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Falcons still haven't won three consecutive games under Smith's guide, watching their latest chance diminish with Sunday's 29-25 home loss to the Buccaneers.
Questions remain at quarterback, where Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot tied themselves to 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder, who's provided mixed returns but hasn't proven to be a viable long-term solution.
Still, while 6-7 is far from where Blank thought his team would be, Smith's seat doesn't seem hot - unless this "late-season collapse" unfolds.
Atlanta closes its season with a manageable four-game slate, starting Sunday at the Carolina Panthers (1-12) before hosting the Indianapolis Colts (7-6) and then finishing the year on the road against the Chicago Bears (5-8) and Saints (6-7).
Opportunity exists for the Falcons to finish strong and make the playoffs for the first time under Smith - but if they crumble, which likely means losing out or going 1-3, this situation becomes much more interesting.
For now, it's all hypothetical, and Atlanta looks to put questions to bed starting Sunday, when it takes on Carolina at 1 p.m. EST inside Bank of America Stadium.
