The head coaching carousel in the NFL is spinning fast, and the Atlanta Falcons are on the prowl, locking in their very first interview with Baltimore Ravens defense mastermind Mike Macdonald. Fresh off his stint with the Ravens, where he crafted a unit robust enough to earn a playoff bye as the AFC's top seed, Macdonald chatted virtually with the Falcons' brass this past Friday, in what marks his inaugural stride into the head coaching spotlight. This move came hot on the heels of Arthur Smith's departure, who couldn't quite zigzag past another 7-10 season finish, his third in succession, prompting the Falcons to show him the door on Sunday night.
Macdonald, according to WSBTV, not only boasts a resume gilded with his latest NFL defensive rankings – his team boasting the sixth-best overall and the number one in scoring average – but also a narrative that weaves through the collegiate ranks at the University of Georgia and a golden year with Michigan. Before stepping up to coordinate Baltimore's defense in 2022, the 36-year-old spent seven formative years with the same Ravens but carved out a year in 2021 to spearhead Michigan's defense.
While Macdonald's interview kicks off the hunt, the Falcons' eyes are scouting a wider field. According to reports from CBS Baltimore, potential candidates on their radar include Detroit Lions' duo Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, alongside Ravens assistant head coach Anthony Weaver. And while they're casting a wide net, the mystery remains as to whether Falcons brass will attempt to reel in the goliath fish of coaching, none other than the former New England patriarch, Bill Belichick.
The coaching search wings wide, with other names like former Falcons interim coach Raheem Morris, currently coordinating Rams' defense, and a slew of coordinators from around the league – the 49ers' Steve Wilks, Bengals' Brian Callahan, Texans' Bobby Slowik, and Panthers' Ejiro Evero. The interview game only intensifies post-January 22, per NFL rules, when teams are allowed to initiate in-person interviews with coaches freed from playoff shackles.
