Falcons fire head coach Arthur Smith after third straight 7-10 season

2023 NFL regular season has ended, and “Black Monday” – the first day after the end of a campaign where head coaches are given their marching orders all around in league football will be here very soon. The first of those has already happened: the Atlanta Falcons announced that they have fired Arthur Smith.

“It’s not an easy decision and it doesn’t feel good,” said Arthur Blank, the team owner in a statement. On the other hand, “We have a deep respect for Coach Smith and understand all efforts he has invested in Falcons over three years. He has contributed in establishing a good culture within our football team, but the performances on ground have not been up to standard.

“After careful considerations and analyzing the best course of action for our team, decided that new leadership in the head coaching position would be ideal.”

“The search for a new head coach will begin immediately” says the team and led by Blank and CEO Rich McKay with additional input from GM Terry Fontenot, he added no changes to that have been announced yet in Atlanta’s staff but are likely to happen as you change at the top.

Smith came to Atlanta in 2021, having previously served as a long-time assistant with the Tennessee Titans – including being offensive coordinator under Mike Vrabel. 7-10 and out of the playoffs in all three years, however.

With him now out of the job, all four head coaching positions in NFL remain vacant. The Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers are joining the Falcons.