The Atlanta Falcons (7-9) are entering Sunday’s regular season finale against the New Orleans Saints (8-8) with lots at stake.If the Falcons win and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) lose to the Carolina Panthers (2-14), Atlanta snaps its six-year playoff drought.
But there’s also an avenue where the Falcons, regardless of the result, fire coach Arthur Smith after three seasons at the helm – and according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, Falcons owner Arthur Blank is still deciding Smith’s fate.
“Blank is said to have gone back and forth, and to be torn, according to sources,” Schefter writes. “He is a fan of Smith, one of the brighter offensive minds in the game, but that might not be enough for Atlanta to stand pat.”
Smith has led the Falcons to a 7-10 record in each of his first two seasons and currently sits at 21-29 in his career on the sidelines.
Blank offered Smith a window of patience early, with Atlanta battling through cap limitations set by the previous regime – but after general manager Terry Fontenot spent $190 million this past offseason, expectations were raised.
The 81-year-old Blank recently said making the playoffs wasn’t a requirement for Smith, but progress was – and Atlanta finds itself favored to finish 7-10 once more.
As such, Blank has begun looking around the league for possible replacements, a clear indication he’s considered life after Smith.
“The Falcons have been surveying the coaching landscape, mulling what options are out there should they decide to make a change, according to league sources,” Schefter writes.
One of the primary arguments for keeping Smith stems from Atlanta starting four quarterbacks in three years, with the trio of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke each receiving starts in the past two seasons after Matt Ryan’s departure.
The Falcons have prioritized building an environment around the quarterback position, and Smith sold Blank that Ridder could be the team’s future under center.
But Ridder was benched twice this season, and it’s grown more and more apparent the Falcons’ long-term answer at quarterback isn’t currently on the roster.
And so, even with a solid rebuilding job that features several key assets under contract for the foreseeable future, the absence of a signal caller may ultimately prove to be Smith’s fatal flaw.
“This is a team that has been built with talent in many places, except at quarterback,” Schefter writes. “And the lack of stability at quarterback could influence whether there is stability in the rest of the organization.”
The Falcons will take on the Saints at 1 p.m. EST Sunday inside Caesars Superdome.
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