Falcons Hiring Kevin Stefanski As Head Coach

The Falcons have already announced the hiring Stefanski:

“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,” said Matt Ryan. “Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone 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, 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.”

“I’m beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise,” said Stefanski. “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.”

“In Kevin Stefanski, we have found a coach with the right vision, focus and demeanor to lead our team into the future. From all our research and a wonderful visit with him tonight, I believe he is the right coach to take the talent on our roster to a new level and to work with Matt, our new GM and all our football personnel to build on the strong foundation in place and take it to new heights. He has a great plan for his staff, and he’s learned many things during his stops in Cleveland and Minnesota that have prepared him for this moment. Our objective is to win games and contend for championships every year and that is where our shared focus will remain. We are committed to putting all necessary support and resources around Coach Stefanski to achieve that success and the work has already begun,” owner Arthur Blank said. 

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

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

Here’s the full list of candidate for the Falcons job:

• Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver
• Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak
• Broncos DC Vance Joseph
• 49ers DC Robert Saleh
• Seahawks DC Aden Durde
• Panthers DC Ejiro Evero
• Packers DC Jeff Hafley
• Former Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel
• Former Ravens HC John Harbaugh
• Former Raiders HC Antonio Pierce
• Chargers DC 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 to the 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 offensive coordinator.

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

Stefanski has a record of 43-54 (.448 win 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.