NFL Insider Says Falcons Among John Harbaugh’s Top Choices

“Two sources on interested teams said their belief is Harbaugh's top choices among the vacant jobs are the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons in some order. Those sources added the Tennessee Titans are in third place, while a third, different source said there is real and mutual interest between Harbaugh and the Cleveland Browns,” Jones wrote. 

Harbaugh, who was fired by the Ravens last Tuesday after 18 years in Baltimore, instantly became a hot target for the teams searching for their next head coach. Several teams were quick to reach out to the coach’s representatives.

There is a good reason why. In his time with the Ravens, Harbaugh became a consistent winner. The veteran head coach departed Baltimore having won 193 games (which ranks 12th all-time) and led the franchise to 11 double-digit win seasons, with 12 playoff appearances and a Super Bowl in 2012-13.

The Falcons, who are searching for the coach to snap their eight-year playoff drought, are one of those teams with interest in the former Ravens coach, according to team owner Arthur Blank. 

“John has been one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 years in our league," Blank said during his end-of-season press conference. "He has won at every level. And so, he would certainly be a candidate who we'd want to spend some time with. Whether or not he would have any interest in Atlanta, I don't know.”

Atlanta should be considered an attractive option for coaches this cycle, and Harbaugh’s interest is representative of that. 

Of the teams with current openings (aside from the Ravens, for obvious reasons), no team feels closer to the playoffs than the Falcons. They have some question marks at quarterback that need to be addressed, but they play in a winnable division and have several cornerstone pieces on both offense and defense. 

The search for the next generation of leadership of the Falcons will begin right away, and they confirmed that ZRG Partners will assist with the search. An updated list of candidates that the Falcons have contacted can be found here. 

Harbaugh will reportedly narrow his options to just a few franchises and could pick his new team by the end of this week, according to a report from Ralph Vacchiano. The future of Green Packers head coach Matt LeFleur would likely impact that timeline and the ultimate decision, but more details on that decision are likely to emerge in the coming days.