Smith fired after Falcons finish 7-10
ATLANTA — Arthur Smith, who inherited a rebuilding project in his first NFL head coaching job and failed to lift Atlanta from its playoff drought, was fired late Sunday night, hours after completing his third consecutive losing season with the Falcons.
Smith, the 41-year-old son of FedEx founder Fred Smith, finished with a record of 21-30. He went 7-10 each year.
Smith was dismissed after a 48-17 loss at New Orleans — the second-worst setback of his tenure, topped only by a 43-3 rout at Dallas in 2021. The Falcons dropped four of their last five games and were blown out in Smith’s final two contests, losing 37-17 at Chicago a week ago.
The Falcons have posted six consecutive losing seasons since their last playoff appearance in 2017.
After the team arrived back in Atlanta, Smith met with owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay. The firing was announced shortly after midnight.
“Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good,” said Blank, the 81-year-old owner who now begins the search for the the sixth full-time head coach of his two-plus decades as the Falcons’ owner.
The franchise that joined the league in 1966 is still seeking its first Super Bowl championship. Blank and McKay will lead the coaching search with input from General Manager Terry Fontenot, who is keeping his job after also being hired ahead of the 2021 season.
“We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years,” Blank said in a statement. “He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations.”
Smith was hired by the Falcons in 2021 after a decade-long stint as an assistant with the Tennessee Titans in which he moved up to become their offensive coordinator.
Smith didn’t feel much heat after his first two losing seasons as Atlanta dealt with major salary cap issues, the result of trading away two franchise stalwarts: quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones.
The expectations on Smith grew immensely this season, with Blank making it clear he expected nothing less than the team’s first trip to the playoffs since 2017 after a free-agent spending spree to improve the defense and using three consecutive top-10 draft picks on offensive playmakers Kyle Pitts, Drake London and Bijan Robinson.
But Smith never got reliable quarterback play, switching back and forth between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke this season.
Ridder got the start on Sunday, throwing two touchdown passes in a game that was tied 17-17 at halftime. But he tossed a crucial interception in the third quarter that led to the Saints’ go-ahead touchdown and set up another New Orleans’ score with a fumbled snap.
The Falcons, meanwhile, were shut out in the second half.
Ridder finished the season with 12 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and 12 fumbles.
Some players spoke out in support of Smith.
“I absolutely love Coach Smith,” offensive guard Chris Lindstrom said. “I know we didn’t win the games that we’re supposed to this year. But I think the foundation of what this locker room is, there’s a lot of great things to come.”
Those great things did not come in 2023, despite one of the league’s easiest schedules. The fan base really turned on Smith after a dismal 9-7 loss to the NFLworst Carolina Panthers in Week 15, an opponent that came in with a 1-12 record and interim coach.
Smith’s biggest downfall was failing to settle the quarterback position after Ryan — the Atlanta starter since 2008 — was traded to Indianapolis following Smith’s inaugural season.
Marcus Mariota started much of the 2022 campaign, without consistent success, before the Falcons turned to Ridder for the final four games.