Why Klint Kubiak Makes Sense As The Falcons’ Next Head Coach

The Atlanta Falcons have reportedly missed out on the John Harbaugh sweepstakes after the Super Bowl-winning coach opted to stick with the New York Giants. No team was more aggressive in recruiting the 63-year-old than the Giants, and that paid off for them in the early Thursday morning hours.

Now that the big fish in the pond has chosen its stream, the Falcons can move on to their future coach – and there are some compelling options on the table, with Klint Kubiak, 38, emerging as a leading candidate.

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The play-caller for the Seattle Seahawks oversaw one of the league’s most productive offenses. Under his watch, quarterback Sam Darnold and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba were unlocked, while the Seahawks finished the season ranked No. 3 in points per game (28.4) and No. 8 in total offense (351.4). The Seattle rushing attack also came along in the later parts of the season, and it aligns with the outside zone running schemes that the Falcons are built for.

Atlanta has the talent to win, but they have questions under center. Kubiak’s documented ability to enhance his quarterbacks should make him an attractive option for a Falcons team looking to get the most out of third-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr.

The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar, who covers the Seahawks for the publication, highlighted the play-caller’s ability connect with his quarterbacks and get the most out of them on a down-to-down basis.

A snapshot of why the Falcons (and several teams across the NFL) view Klint Kubiak as a top-end candidate this cycle. https://t.co/zBy7fe7Bwb
— Garrett Chapman (@gchapatl) January 15, 2026

“Kubiak instead operated like a DJ at a party, playing all the hits. With the run game humming, he dialed up numerous play-action shots for Darnold to fire away,” Dugar wrote. And for the 2025 season, Darnold was one of the most explosive quarterbacks, throwing deep balls at the third-highest rate in the NFL.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because that is exactly what Penix was drafted to do in Atlanta. The young quarterback, who is still recovering from his ACL surgery, has a rocket arm that seemed to unlock the Falcons’ offense at the end of the 2024 season but never got going in 2025.

Kubiak could be what spurs both Penix and the Falcons’ offense in 2026.

One concern with Kubiak is that he has not shown staying power in the NFL. Kubiak, who has 12 years of coaching experience, has made five stops in five years: Seahawks, Saints (offensive coordinator), 49ers (passing game coordinator), Broncos (passing game coordinator & quarterbacks coach), and Vikings (offensive coordinator).

His last two stints as an offensive coordinator ended after just one season, but mostly because his head coach was fired – Mike Zimmer (2021), Nathaniel Hackett (2022), and Dennis Allen (2024) were all fired after their time together, but not because of offensive production.

Other stops have highlighted his deep network of bright offensive minds, including time with Kliff Kingsbury at Texas A&M, Gary Kubiak (his dad) with the Broncos in 2016 and the Vikings in 2019-20, and Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers.

He should be their top option at this point, but the Falcons will have no shortage of intriguing candidates.

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Other first-time head coach candidates who are in the playoffs include Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, and Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. All of these names have surged in the early parts of the cycle, but the Falcons have not yet requested interviews.

That could change as teams are eliminated from the playoffs in the coming weeks.

If it is not an up-and-coming, first-time head coach, the Falcons have several options for former coaches. They have or will interview Kevin Stefanski and Mike McDaniel, two prominent offensive-minded coaches who have garnered significant interest across the league.

The Harbaugh reports may signal a slowdown for the Falcons, unless they feel compelled to make a push for Stefanski. The former Browns coach is the other unemployed head coach that teams have been aggressively pursuing. He was 45-56 in six seasons with Cleveland, but he also notched a pair of Coach of the Year seasons despite an endless rotation at the quarterback position.

The coaching carousel is in motion, and the Falcons have reportedly made several new requests this week. This includes former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, but this is likely far from over.

A full track record of who the Falcons have spoken with over the last week, and going forward, can be found here. With Ryan now in place and Harbaugh officially off the market, the Falcons are set to move forward with several exciting candidates to lead the franchise into 2026 and beyond.