{"id":685807,"date":"2026-01-18T04:56:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-18T04:56:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/685807\/"},"modified":"2026-01-18T04:56:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-18T04:56:18","slug":"atlanta-falcons-head-coach-kevin-stefanski-comments-on-hiring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/685807\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski comments on hiring"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated Jan. 17, 2026, 11:09 p.m. ET<\/p>\n

The Atlanta Falcons have officially hired Kevin Stefanski as the 20th head coach in franchise history. Stefanski becomes the fourth head coach in Atlanta since the 2020 season, succeeding Dan Quinn, Arthur Smith and Raheem Morris.<\/p>\n

Stefanski was expected to interview with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, but the Falcons’ front office made an effort to finalize the deal Saturday night to prevent the Titans from stealing their man.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise,” Stefanski wrote in a statement. “I am grateful to Mr. Blank and Matt Ryan for trusting me to coach this football team and there are many talented players on our roster that I cannot wait to coach. We share a vision for this football team that I believe will make Falcons fans everywhere proud. We will get to work immediately putting together a first-class coaching staff and working hard to get to know all the great people that are so important to getting us all where we want to go.”<\/p>\n

Prior to landing the job in Atlanta, Stefanski spent the six seasons as the head coach of the Cleveland Brownsn, going 45-56 and 1-2 in the post season. As noted by ESPN’s Marc Raimondi, Stefanski becomes the first Falcons head coach hired directly after coaching for another team since the hiring of Dan Reeves in 1997.<\/p>\n

Stefanski also spent a decade in Minnesota before taking over as the Vikings<\/a> offensive coordinator in 2019. The Browns<\/a> hired Stefanski one year later in 2020.<\/p>\n

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Falcons president of football Matt Ryan also commented on Stefanski’s hiring:<\/p>\n

We’re thrilled to land a lead-by-example leader in Kevin Stefanski who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a closely aligned focus on building this team on fundamentals, toughness and active collaboration with every area of the football operation. Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture.<\/p>\n

His experience in Cleveland and Minnesota has given him a great understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, personnel and the rest of the football staff to maximize talent across the roster and in doing everything possible to put our players in the best position to succeed. Kevin’s style of leadership, combined with the staff and infrastructure in place here in Atlanta, gives us confidence in our shared vision for the team and we are excited to have him as the leader of our football team. — Matt Ryan, Falcons president of football<\/a><\/p>\n

The Falcons’ new head coach is expected to get right to work putting his staff together in Atlanta.<\/p>\n

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