The Atlanta Falcons have requested the Seattle Seahawks to interview offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak for the job of their next head coach.
News broke Monday morning on Twitter, less than a day after the Falcons ended their regular season and fired their head coach, Raheem Morris, and their general manager, Terry Fontenot. Morris spent two years helming Atlanta, both of which they went 8-9 in, but missed the playoffs both times. Fontenot spent five years with the Falcons, where they went 7-10 for the first three before the last two 8-9 finishes. Mediocrity is a death sentence in an NFL full of committed contenders and rebuilders. The Falcons didn’t show any clear direction with this regime. Even worse, they couldn’t beat their NFC South division rivals in what’s been arguably the weakest in the NFL during their tenure, to just make the playoffs once. Kubiak would provide a welcome change of a modern, offensive-minded outlook at the forefront of their building, which is loaded with talent itself in Bijan Robinson and Drake London.
For the Seahawks, this is the risk of being too good. You get a great coordinator who overhauls the offense, and if they’re good enough, they’re gone to a head coaching opportunity the next year. It’s unclear who would step in if Kubiak did leave, but he’d at least be with the team throughout the playoffs. The silver lining comes in the respect the league gains for Seattle, and the leverage it gives them in hiring his replacement. The selling point becomes simply, “do well enough with our guys and you can be a head coach next year.”
For Kubiak, this move would elevate his career, but he would also be leaving behind the most success he’s ever found. Becoming a head coach is always going to be tempting, for some individuals more than others. He isn’t a big personality and might not be too eager to make the jump to all the people and media management skills being a head coach demands. He would be joining a talented team in a wide-open division, albeit without a penchant for success.
Three decisions await- the Seahawks’ to allow the interview, Kubiak’s to accept the interview, and the Falcons’ on how to proceed with their search when and if they do interview him. For now, Kubiak will continue to game plan for the Seahawks’ divisional round game in just under two weeks, with a spot in the NFC Championship on the line.