The Atlanta Falcons missed the opportunity to hire Raheem Morris as their head coach three years ago.
Even after a thorough search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick, they didn’t let him escape this time.
Bringing back a well-known figure who coached Atlanta as an interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season following Dan Quinn’s firing, the Falcons hired the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator on Thursday.
The Falcons selected the 47-year-old Morris following interviews with 14 applicants, Belichick being the most prominent. The team spoke with Bobby Slowik, the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, again earlier on Thursday.
Ultimately, the Falcons chose to hire a seasoned coach who has been in the league since 2002, missing only one season during which he led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three years. Prior to 2020, he worked in Atlanta.
Along with general manager Terry Fontenot, another Black person, Morris becomes the first non-interim Black coach in Falcons history and takes charge of a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.
The hiring guarantees the highest number of minority head coaches ever—at least nine—to begin the 2024 season.
In a statement, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank declared, “This is a historic day for the team.” “Raheem is the ideal leader to lead our team into the future, having risen from a pool of outstanding applicants.”
Blank also disclosed that the Falcons’ leadership structure has changed to allow for greater involvement in day-to-day football operations. Unlike Fontenot and former coach Arthur Smith, Morris and Fontenot will report directly to the 81-year-old owner rather than CEO Rich McKay.
The former general manager of the Falcons, McKay, will now only be able to represent the team in league affairs.
After being passed over for the Falcons job following the 2020 season in favor of Smith, Morris moved to the Rams. He spent three seasons as that team’s defensive coordinator, a tenure that included a Super Bowl championship his first year.
Smith was fired by the Falcons shortly after their final regular-season game. He went 7-10 in each of his three seasons.
Morris was just 33 years old when he got his first head coaching job with the Buccaneers in 2009. He lasted three seasons, finishing with one winning season, no playoff appearances and a record of 17-31.
Morris previously served as Quinn’s pass game coordinator, receivers coach, and secondary coach in Atlanta, working on both sides of the line. Prior to the 2020 campaign, he was elevated to defensive coordinator, then to interim coach when Quinn was fired following a 0–5 start.
Morris finished his career at 21-38 after leading the Falcons to a 4-7 record the remainder of the season. The Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator Smith ultimately took the full-time position, which he had been the first of seven candidates to interview for.
The Falcons selected Morris this time.
Through this process, Fontenot stated, “We have seen many excellent prospects and have performed one of the most complete and comprehensive searches.” “Raheem fits perfectly with our group, our culture, and our common goal of success in Atlanta. I am eager to collaborate with him and welcome his positive spirit into our building.”
Morris takes over a squad that, even if it hasn’t generated a winning record since he left as coach in Atlanta, has seen significant change. They have invested heavily in free agency to bolster the defense while using their last three first-round selections on offensive players Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson.
However, the new coach’s biggest problem is the same one that plagued his predecessor: who will play quarterback?
The Falcons must improve at the most crucial position on the field via the draft, trade, or free agency. Smith alternated between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, who combined for 17 touchdown throws and 16 interceptions.
Morris is just the second coach in Atlanta history to get two stints as the team’s head coach. Marion Campbell held the job from 1974-76 and returned to the post from 1987-89, failing to produce a winning season in either tenure.
The hiring of Morris came as something of a surprise, given the team’s clear interest in a coach of Belichick’s stature and its interviews with several youthful assistants, including Slowik, who were considered rising stars.
It will be especially interesting to see how the new coach is viewed by a fan base that had grown increasingly apathetic in the midst of six straight losing seasons and the Falcons’ failure to produce a Super Bowl title over their 58-year history.
Given the thousands of vacant seats at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that have become the norm, many assumed Blank would opt for a major name.
Les Snead, general manager of the Rams, gushed about Morris’ contribution to a squad that made it back to the postseason this year after missing it in 2022. The general manager mentioned that he has coached both defense and offense.
“There’s not many coaches in the planet who has been in both of those rooms,” Snead said. “He’s going to give any organization an edge in just how collaborative he is. It’s going to be an edge most teams won’t be able to compete with.”
Blank said Morris’ tenure in Los Angeles helped persuade the Falcons that he’s the right man for the job this time around.
“His time in LA has given him an enhanced perspective on everything from personnel, team operations, game planning, working with an outstanding offensive staff and many other things that have helped him develop into an even more prepared coach in all aspects of the game,” Blank said.
Under Morris this past season, the Rams’ defense ranked 20th in yards allowed (337.9 per game), 13th in passing yards (231.1), 12th in rushing yards (106.8) and 18th in scoring defense (22.3 points per game).
Morris joins Dave Canales in Carolina, Jerod Mayo in New England, and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas as the fourth minority hire of this coaching cycle. Other minority coaches in the league are Todd Bowles of Tampa Bay, Mike McDaniel of Miami, Robert Saleh of the New York Jets, Mike Tomlin of Pittsburgh, and DeMeco Ryans of Houston.
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