Seahawks assistant a serious candidate for new head coaching vacancy in Atlanta

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It is that time of year when teams start to make the moves on deciding their futures. The Atlanta Falcons made their decision known that they needed to go in a new direction after firing head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot.
The Falcons are now going to look for a new head coach after hiring a new leader in the front office. It should go without a thought that the Falcons should hire an offensive-minded head coach to maximize the high-level talent on their roster, including running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London, and tight end Kyle Pitts, if they re-sign him or franchise tag him.
There are several options the Falcons could go for, but one coach that is going to have serious consideration for head coach is Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. This should be a slam-dunk hire for the Falcons if they can entice Kubiak for a head coaching job.
Kubiak has been a top-level assistant since 2021, when he was with the Minnesota Vikings. He has spent each of the last five seasons jumping around to five teams as either the passing game coordinator or the offensive coordinator. Last season, he was the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints, a key rival of the Falcons.
It is not hard to see that Kubiak should be one of the top head coaching candidates this season. There is a clear difference in how the Seahawks were offensively this season compared to last year, with Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator.
In just one season with the Seahawks, Kubiak has created a top-three scoring offense (28.4 points per game), a top-eight passing offense (228.1 passing yards per game), and a top-ten rushing offense (123.3 rushing yards per game).

Kubiak has created a run-heavy scheme with the top two running backs in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. The rushing game is also getting hot at the right time of the season.
As far as passing the ball, quarterback Sam Darnold has become one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the league. He has won 14 games each this season and last year with the Vikings. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has become one of the most explosive wide receivers in the league and finished the regular season as the league’s leading receiver (1,793 yards).
The Falcons would love to incorporate the potential of a similar productive offense as he did with the Seahawks. Atlanta would also turn to an offensive-minded coach like Kubiak to help turn second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. into one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
There are still other options for the Falcons to look at for head coach, especially in the NFC West with the Los Angeles Rams. Seattle has the potential to win a Super Bowl this season based on the elite productivity of the offense and the elite playmaking of the defense.
The Seahawks also have the potential to try and persuade Kubiak to stay as the Falcons are an unstable franchise. Not only are the Falcons having to replace their head coach and general manager, but moves are being made to the team’s CEO and president of football. Atlanta will be on their fourth different head coach since 2015.
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Michael Hanich is a long-time sports journalist with experience across print, digital, and television. He is currently a producer and reporter for WKRG News 5 in Mobile, Alabama, and has covered Alabama football, Auburn football and basketball, and various college and pro teams for Gulf Coast Media and YardBarker.
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