BREAKING: Falcons Hire Kevin Stefanski as Head Coach

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Falcons are finalizing a rental agreement Kevin Stefanski as their new coach.

The Falcons have already announced the hiring of Stefanski:

“We are delighted to have found an exemplary leader in Kevin Stefanski who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a consistent focus on building this team on fundamentals, resilience and effective collaboration in all areas of football,” said Matt Ryan. “Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who prioritizes accountability and a player-driven culture. His experience in Cleveland and Minnesota has given him a great understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, staff and the rest of the football staff to develop talent throughout the roster and doing everything possible to put our players in the best position for leadership and Kevin’s infrastructure to succeed here. It gives us confidence in our shared team vision and we are excited to have him as the leader of our football team.”

“I was delighted to be charged with leading this title,” said Stefanski.I thank Mr. Blank and Matt Ryan for trusting me to coach this football team and there are so many talented players on our roster that I can’t wait to coach. We have a vision for this football team that I believe will make Falcons fans everywhere proud. We will work quickly to put together a first-class coaching staff and work hard to get to know all the great people who are most important to getting us all where we want to go. “

“In Kevin Stefanski, we have found a coach with the right vision, focus and character to lead our team into the future. Through all of our research and our great visit with him tonight, I believe he is the right coach to take the talent on our roster to the next level and work with Matt, our new GM and our entire football staff to build on the strong foundation that exists and take us to the highest level as he learns new things in his programs. Cleveland and Minnesota have prepared him this time our goal is to win games and entering tournaments every year and that is where we will collectively focus We are committed to putting all the necessary support and resources into Coach Stefanski to achieve that success and the work has begun,” the owner Arthur Blank said.

The Falcons continue to overhaul their organization, which began with the hiring of Matt Ryan as Football President.

Atlanta still needs to hire a general manager, but Stefanski was one of the most available candidates in this year’s cycle and I’m sure they feel pressure to get him under contract as soon as possible.

Here is the complete list of candidates for the Falcons job:

• Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver
• Seahawks OC Clint Kubiak
• Broncos DC Vance Joseph
• 49ers DC Robert Saleh
• Seahawks DC Aden Durde
• Panthers DC Ejiro Evero
• Parks DC Jeff Hafley
• Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel
• Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh
• Former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce
• DC chargers Jesse Minter

Stefanski, 43, began his NFL coaching career as an operations intern with the Eagles back in 2005. He was later hired by the Vikings as an assistant head coach a year later.

He held several different positions, including TE coach, RB coach, and QB coach, before being promoted to the team’s interim coordinator.

After negotiating for head coaching jobs, Stefanski returned to the Vikings and was hired as their full-time offensive coordinator. The Browns ended up hiring Stefanski as their head coach for the 2020 season. He was extended after their 11-win season in 2023, but was released following the 2025 season after going 7-26 over his final two seasons.

Stefanski has a 43-54 record (.448 winning percentage) in six seasons with the Browns, with two playoff appearances and a 1-2 postseason record. He was also named the AP Coach of the Year after his first season in 2020 and again in 2023.