Falcons Set to Interview Bengals' Brian Callahan for Coaching Vacancy Again
The Atlanta Falcons completed a second interview with six-time Super Bowl Champion coach Bill Belichick Friday, and NFL Media's Tom Pelissero says Jim Harbaugh is slated to meet with the team for a second time this coming week as well.
But while the Falcons have interviewed the two most high-profile candidates available in this cycle, owner Arthur Blank and company continue to turn over other stones in their coaching search.
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Among those also in consideration is Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. Pelissero hears that the Falcons, NFC South-rival Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans all are expected to interview Callahan for a second time this week.
Callahan began his NFL coaching career in 2010, serving as a coaching assistant on Josh McDaniels' staff. He remained in various roles with the Broncos through the 2015 season, also working under John Fox and Gary Kubiak. He spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons as the Detroit Lions quarterbacks coach for Jim Caldwell. He held the same role for the Oakland Raiders in 2018 on Jon Gruden's staff.
When Zac Taylor got the Bengals coaching job in 2019, he hired Callahan to be his offensive coordinator. Taylor has an offensive background and calls the plays, but Callahan has been part of developing quarterback Joe Burrow, and was also key in keeping the team afloat in 2023 with Jake Browning under center. From a big-picture perspective, he's been on a coaching staff that has helped see a team through a rebuild and change the culture in what was a dysfunctional building.
It may scare teams a bit -- particularly ones who don't have established veterans at quarterback, like the Falcons -- that Callahan hasn't called plays. But he's been around a diverse group of offensive minds, and it's evident that at some point soon, the 39-year-old is going to get a chance to lead a team of his own.
