Arthur Smith reaches agreement to become new Atlanta Falcons coach

The Atlanta Falcons reached an agreement with Arthur Smith to be the team’s new head coach, it was announced on Friday.

Smith has served as the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons.

Smith, 38, replaces Dan Quinn, whom the Falcons fired along with general manager Thomas Dimitroff on October 11 after a 0-5 game. Raheem Morris took over as acting coach and led the Falcons in their only wins in the 2020 season, on the way to a 4-12 overall record.

The Titans ranked fourth in the league in scoring during the regular season, averaging 30.7 points per game under Smith. Tennessee ended the regular season with an average of 396.4 total yards per game, good for third place in the NFL. The Titans’ accelerated attack posted 168.1 yards per game, second only to the Baltimore Ravens (191.9 yards).

Tennessee achieved a rare balance with Smith. Running back Derrick Henry’s 2,027 race yards were the fifth best running total of all time, and he became the eighth player to cross the 2,000 yard plateau. Titans receiver AJ Brown finished 1,075 yards in reception, and teammate Corey Davis finished the season 16 yards before the 1,000 yard plateau.

Smith joined the Titans in 2011 as a defensive quality control coach; he then played a number of other roles in Tennessee, including offensive quality control coach, offensive line assistant and tight end coach.

Smith also interviewed the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles. The Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their new coach on Thursday.

Bears game coordinator Dave Ragone is a favorite to join Smith as an offensive coordinator in Atlanta, ESPN sources Jeremy Fowler said.

The Falcons had a remote interview with Smith on Monday before taking him to Atlanta for a second interview on Wednesday. The team also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady and offensive coordinator Green Bay Packers Nathaniel Hackett.

The Jets announced on Thursday night that they had reached an agreement in principle with Saleh to be the next coach.