NFL Coach Carousel: Falcons Exes Dan Quinn, Byron Leftwich & an Aaron Rodgers Trade?
As of Wednesday night, there were a whopping nine head-coaching vacancies in the NFL.
Thursday morning the first of those has been filled and the dominos should start falling quickly.
The Denver Broncos are hiring Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to replace Vic Fangio who was fired earlier this month.
Teams still looking to fill their vacancies:
Las Vegas Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars
Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
Houston Texans
New Orleans Saints
Former Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn had been considered the favorite to land in Denver for much of the year, but Quinn is still looking at other options including his hometown New York Giants and Chicago Bears.
Hackett’s move to Denver could do more to increase the power shift that is happening in the NFC. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers and his top receiver Davante Adams have given indications that they would like to join Hackett in Denver.
The New Orleans Saints, a perennial-playoff contender under Sean Payton, were rocked by the news this week that he was walking away from football… For how long remains to be seen.
Tom Brady has been giving indications that he might finally call it quits in Tampa, and his offensive coordinator and former Falcon Byron Leftwich is a finalist for the Jaguars job.
The Cowboys will likely lose their defensive coordinator in Quinn and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has been interviewing for head coach jobs as well.
The Falcons are in rebuild mode after a 7-10 season, but if they can put the pieces together quickly, they can take advantage of the chaos that is the NFC.
Atlanta has the No. 8 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. They have needs across the board but should be able to add an impact player at a premium position including edge rusher.
While the Falcons don't have a lot of room under the salary cap, they're in better position than they were last year and get significant relief in 2023.
Mark Hoffman Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via Imagn
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Head coach Arthur Smith and general manager are entering their second year with the Falcons. Atlanta showed improvement in winning the close games in 2021. They were 7-2 in one-score games last season.
Now they need to add the pieces to a depleted roster to take advantage of the opportunity presented through transition throughout the NFC.
