{"id":784704,"date":"2026-03-01T16:41:13","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/784704\/"},"modified":"2026-03-01T16:41:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:41:13","slug":"nfl-combine-buzz-sees-joe-flacco-following-kevin-stefanski-to-atlanta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/784704\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Combine buzz sees Joe Flacco following Kevin Stefanski to Atlanta"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> have entered a new era by hiring Kevin Stefanski, who received the lowest grade<\/a> among all head coaches in the latest NFLPA report cards.<\/p>\n

Players surveyed from his 2025 season with the Browns gave him a C- rating, specifically criticizing his leadership and professionalism.<\/p>\n

Despite his previous accolades as Coach of the Year, Stefanski faces immediate pressure from owner Arthur Blank, who has shown a lack of patience by firing previous leadership after several mediocre seasons.<\/p>\n

This coaching change coincides with the Falcons’ decision to release Kirk Cousins before his substantial $67.9 million salary becomes fully guaranteed.<\/p>\n

While Cousins plans to remain active and selective in free agency, Atlanta is exploring the trade market for various backup quarterbacks as developmental or depth options.<\/p>\n

And rumors from the NFL Combine<\/a>, according to ESPN, suggest that veteran Joe Flacco<\/a> is expected to follow<\/a> Stefanski to Atlanta, providing a reliable bridge in case young quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is not yet ready to lead the team.<\/p>\n

Earlier this February, the 41-year-old Flacco officially dismissed retirement rumors<\/a> after completing his 18th NFL season.<\/p>\n

He recently earned a Pro Bowl selection as an injury replacement, following a productive campaign where he recorded 2,479 yards and 15 touchdowns.<\/p>\n

Flacco expressed a strong desire to continue playing meaningful football, emphasizing that he remains focused on staying in shape and is prepared for a new opportunity, despite being unfamiliar with the complex dynamics behind the scenes in front offices.<\/p>\n

By bringing in a veteran who already understands Stefanski\u2019s system, the organization hopes to stabilize the roster while mentoring Penix Jr. for the future.<\/p>\n

As the new league year approaches, the success of this veteran-heavy strategy will determine whether Atlanta can finally achieve the postseason results that have eluded the franchise in recent years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Atlanta Falcons have entered a new era by hiring Kevin Stefanski, who received the lowest grade among…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":784705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,224,7,562,8591,6,927,832],"class_list":{"0":"post-784704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-falcons","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-joe-flacco","14":"tag-kevin-stefanski","15":"tag-nfl","16":"tag-nfl-combine","17":"tag-nfl-rumors"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116154917585330459","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=784704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/784704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/784705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=784704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=784704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=784704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}