Falcons Hire Kevin Stefanski To Sort Through Difficult QB Situation

There have been two NFL head coaches hired this cycle, and they have one thing in common: The teams that fired them made a terrible, terrible mistake.

John Harbaugh was officially hired by the New York Giants Saturday afternoon after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago.

And Kevin Stefanski was hired by the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday evening after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns two weeks ago.

Falcons Excited To Land Stefanski

Neither the Browns nor the Ravens have found replacements for their fired coaches.

The Falcons announced the hiring of the two-time NFL coach of the year during the divisional round game between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, which means they didn't give a rip about the NFL's unwritten rule about not breaking news during ongoing postseason games.

The Falcons were obviously too excited about this one to hold it back.

"We're thrilled to land a lead-by-example leader in Kevin Stefanski, who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a closely aligned focus on building this team on fundamentals, toughness and active collaboration with every area of the football operation," said Falcons club President Matt Ryan.

Stefanski will report directly to Ryan.

 "Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture," Ryan added. "His experience in Cleveland and Minnesota has given him a great understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, personnel and the rest of the football staff to maximize talent across the roster and in doing everything possible to put our players in the best position to succeed.

"Kevin's style of leadership, combined with the staff and infrastructure in place here in Atlanta, gives us confidence in our shared vision for the team and we are excited to have him as the leader of our football team."

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski. (Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images)

Browns Need Help With QBs

We know the Baltimore Ravens, who fired Harbaugh last week, will have a hard time finding a coach worthy of keeping 17 years, as they did with Harbaugh. It'll be hard finding a coach that takes them to four AFC championship games and delivers a Super Bowl championship.

But what about Stefanski?

Well, the Browns got rid of their coach after a 3-14 season in 2024 and 5-12 in 2025. But here's the reason they made a mistake:

The Browns are in the quarterback market. They need one to compete with Deshaun Watson (if they keep him). They'll either draft that quarterback very early in the first round or they'll bank on Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders – rookies in 2025 – developing.

It's going to be hard to find a coach who can develop quarterbacks better than Stefanski.

Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Stefanski Will Address QB Situation

Atlanta recognized that and picked him to take on the assignment of sorting through the Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins dynamic. 

Raheem Morris, fired by the Falcons after two seasons, never figured it out. Ryan, a former quarterback, believes Stefanski is up to the task. And so does the coach.

"I'm beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise," Stefanski said. "I am grateful to Mr. [Arthur] Blank and Matt Ryan for trusting me to coach this football team and there are many talented players on our roster that I cannot wait to coach. 

"We share a vision for this football team that I believe will make Falcons fans everywhere proud. We will get to work immediately putting together a first-class coaching staff and working hard to get to know all the great people that are so important to getting us all where we want to go."