Atlanta reached an agreement with the coach, who has been the Titans’ offensive coordinator for the past two years.
The Atlanta Falcons named Arthur Smith as their new head coachthe team announced in a statement.
Smith has been the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, where he helped revive the career of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who won the 2019 Comeback of the Year Award.
38-year-old Smith will replace Dan Quinn, who was fired by the Falcons on October 11 alongside general manager Thomas Dimitroff after a 0-5 start.. Raheem Morris took over as interim head coach, leading the Falcons to their only wins of the 2020 season on their way to the finish line with a 4-12 overall record.
We’ve reached an agreement with Arthur Smith to become our next head coach.
– Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) January 15, 2021
The terms of Smith’s deal with the Falcons have not been disclosed.
The Titans were ranked fourth in the league in points scored during the regular season, averaging 30.7 points per game under Smith. Tennessee finished the regular season averaging 396.4 yards per game, finishing third in the NFL. The Titans’ running attack scored 168.1 yards per game, behind the Baltimore Ravens (191.9 yards) alone.
Tennessee found a strange balance with Smith. Falling back from Derrick Henry’s 2,027 rushing yards was the fifth most in history and he became the eighth player to break the 2,000-yard barrier. Titans wide receiver AJ Brown finished with 1,075 receiving yards, while teammate Corey Davis finished the season 16 yards from the 1000 mark.
Smith joined the Titans in 2001 as a defensive quality control coach; He has since worked in a variety of roles in Tennessee, including Offensive Quality Control Coach, Offensive Line Assistant, and Tight Ends Coach..
Smith also interviewed the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and Philadelphia Eagles. The Jaguars hired Urban Meyer as their new head coach on Thursday.
The Falcons had a remote interview with Smith on Monday before hosting him in Atlanta for a second interview on Wednesday. The team also interviewed Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense coordinator Todd Bowles; San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh; Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady; and Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.
The Jets announced on Thursday evening that they had reached an agreement with Saleh to become their next head coach.