FLOWERY BRANCH – The Atlanta Falcons’ coaching search has accelerated in recent days following the Falcons’ official announcement of Matt Ryan as their new president of football. Several candidates are now moving quickly to make their case as Atlanta shapes the next phase of its franchise.

The most important domino in this process is former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. The Giants have reportedly made him their top target. According to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic, New York team executive Chris Mara met with Harbaugh for lunch on Sunday in Baltimore before they had “an informal” meeting at the coach’s house.  

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Atlanta, who are considered by many to be the Giants’ top competition for Harbaugh, also announced that it interviewed the hot target on Monday afternoon. It was later revealed that it was not in person, which is a common practice at this stage of the process.

Harbaugh has now spoken with all seven teams that have an opening, and The Athletic reported that the Giants, Falcons, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns are in the mix for the 18-year Ravens coach. The formal interviews are expected to take place later this week and into next week for the teams he ultimately selects. 

The Super Bowl champion coach immediately became the hottest name on the market after the Ravens parted with him last week. He will likely be the first coach to make his decision, with these teams making their best pitches for him. 

Harbaugh is not the only coach the Falcons interviewed on Monday, as former Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel was announced on Monday evening. 

McDaniel spent the last four seasons with the Dolphins, where he went 7-10 last season and finished with a 35-33 overall record. His team snapped a five-year postseason drought in his first year in charge, before returning in consecutive seasons, but failing to advance in both tries. Miami was 15-19 over his next two years, leading to the change in leadership. 

The former Dolphins coach is widely regarded as one of the sharpest offensive minds in the sport, and he has ties to the Falcons’ organization. He spent two seasons in Atlanta, culminating in the team’s Super Bowl run and Ryan’s MVP season. 

McDaniel followed Kyle Shanahan to San Francisco in 2017, where he spent the next five seasons (one as the run game specialist, two as run game coordinator, and two as the offensive coordinator). 

If he does not sign on as a head coach somewhere, McDaniel is expected to be the hottest offensive coordinator target on the market. The Detroit Lions are interested in bringing him on in this capacity, while the Browns, Titans, and Ravens are in the mix for him as a head coach. 

Over the weekend, the Falcons welcomed in Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde and requested Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. 

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Evero is in his third season in charge of the Panthers’ defense, and Dave Canales stated that the team “absolutely” wants to bring him back. The Las Vegas Raiders also requested time with the coordinator, and that virtual conversation could be coming any day now that Carolina was eliminated from the playoffs. 

Durde is the only candidate in this specific listing who is still in the playoffs, but they were able to speak with him due to the Seahawks having a first-round bye. The Seahawks’ coordinator led one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2025. His unit led the NFL in scoring (17.2 points per game) and was second in expected points added per play (-0.17).

In-person interviews with assistants who are under contract with other teams can begin on Monday (Jan 19), unless those teams are still alive for the conference title games. The deadline would then extend to Jan 26, when those teams are either eliminated from the playoffs or in the midst of their bye week before the Super Bowl – those coaches are not permitted to interview in person during that bye week unless they have completed a virtual interview in January. 

A full track record of who the Falcons have spoken with over the last week, and going forward, can be found here. This list will continue to evolve, so make sure to check back in to stay up to date on everything the Falcons have going on during this search. 

With Ryan now in place and formal interviews set to begin, the Falcons appear poised to move quickly once Harbaugh makes his decision. Whether Atlanta lands its top target or pivots to a different candidate, the shape of the next era will come into focus in the coming weeks.