How Attractive is Atlanta Falcons Head Coaching Job? ESPN Ranks ThemPortland-based running coach Im a real believer in that

The Atlanta Falcons entered the season with playoff aspirations. Through 15 weeks, they sit at 5-9 and have already been eliminated from a postseason berth. Atlanta, which thought it was a adidas away from contention, will now register back-to-back losing seasons under head coach Raheem Morris, meaning a change may be brewing for the Falcons.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell COACH TORBA NA RAMIĘ 'CAMERA' ahead of the 2026 season, placing a possible Atlanta Falcons opening sixth among eight teams. The only teams ranked below Atlanta were the Miami Dolphins and the Las Vegas Raiders.

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“An incoming coach won't have much draft capital to work with in 2026 and will be tied to Penix for at least one more season as he returns from another serious knee injury, and that limits how appealing this job might be to incomers.” Barnwell wrote.

The Falcons have five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, down to their first and fifth round picks next year. Atlanta traded their first-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in a deal to trade back into the first round of the 2025 Draft and select edge rusher James Pearce Jr. The team surrendered its 2026 fifth-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles to move up from 101 to 96 and select safety Xavier Watts.

As of right now, the Falcons are slated to have just $10.9 million in cap space, which would rank 24th in the league, which, mixed with the Falcons’ limited draft capital, makes Atlanta an unattractive head coach destination in Barnwell’s eyes.

The Falcons will also have to figure out what to do at the quarterback position. Michael Penix Jr. tore his ACL in November, ending his season.

“Penix will have made just 12 starts as he enters year three, a make-or-break season for young quarterbacks. Can we really draw significant conclusions about what we've seen from Penix so far? There's certainly talent here, but would a new coach want to hitch their wagon to a quarterback with such a significant résumé of injuries? Barnwell writes.

It certainly is a fair question; a new regime wouldn’t have the ties to Penix that this one does, as they selected the quarterback eighth overall in 2024. 

Atlanta boasts young talent on both sides of the ball, with Bijan Robinson and Drake London headlining the offense, while James Pearce Jr., Brandon Dorlus, Jalon Walker, and Xavier Watts anchor an up-and-coming defense. 

However, the Falcons' inability to find a permanent solution at quarterback since the departure of Matt Ryan, along with their limited cap space and draft capital, makes it a less desirable destination for a potential new head coach in the eyes of Bill Barnwell.

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