Arthur Smith and the Falcons are having a difficult time. The Falcons have now lost three straight games and six of their last eight after falling to the lowly Cardinals on Sunday. This has naturally raised concerns about the head coach’s job security.
According to Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post, the Falcons will release Smith after the 2023 season. According to the reporter, a rival general manager believes Atlanta will make a change during the offseason.
“I think they’re making a change,” La Canfora’s GM said. “It’s Year 3 now, and you’re supposed to show something.”
[Owner] Arthur Blank is getting older. …
“They can’t throw the ball downfield, they don’t have a starting quarterback, and they overpaid for the running back.” [Smith] is a wonderful person, but he was hired to be a quarterback, and they have all of these top-10 picks and can’t do anything with them. Someone in the NFC South will save their job by winning the division, but I doubt it will be him.”
When Smith was hired as Falcons head coach in 2021, he was expected to overhaul the offense. The team had identical 7-10 records in 2021 and 2022, but the current 2023 season was supposed to be Atlanta’s breakout season.
Instead, the offense has struggled to this point. Desmond Ridder struggled at center early in the season, and replacement Taylor Heinicke wasn’t much better. Furthermore, the Falcons have spent a lot of money in the draft on offensive players like running back Bijan Robinson, tight end Kyle Pitts, and wide receiver Drake London. Despite being selected in the top ten of their respective drafts, the trio has combined for only seven touchdowns this season. Smith has his fingerprints all over the roster, and if the Falcons fail to make the playoffs, Smith will almost certainly be fired.
There is, however, hope for Smith in Atlanta. According to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, Blank has been supportive of his head coach behind the scenes. While the owner previously stated that he hoped to see progress from his team in 2023, Schultz writes that this does not necessarily imply that anything will change on the field. In fact, Schultz believes that the only way Smith will lose his job is if his team completely disintegrates or tunes out the coach.
Smith, for what it’s worth, isn’t overly concerned about his job situation. The coach told Schultz that he understands the criticism but isn’t concerned with the headlines.
“I’m an old lineman — I’m used to getting my ass ripped,” he explained to The Athletic. “It used to be just you writing a column. There are now 7,000 outrage forums. I understand. But you can’t be concerned about everything around you, especially things you can’t control. If you’re concerned about that, don’t play professional sports, as I previously stated.”
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