Arthur Smith Fired By Falcons After Missing 2023-24 NFL Playoffs

Arthur Smith's time in Atlanta has come to a close.

The Falcons fired their head coach after a disappointing 7-10 season that saw the team miss the postseason.

Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank addressed the decision in a statement on the team's official website:

"Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good. 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. He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position."

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network first reported the news.

The team also announced that general manager Terry Fontenot will assist in the impending coaching search:

The news comes just hours after a season-ending 48-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which saw Smith confront Saints coach Dennis Allen about a late touchdown after the game:

Allen apologized to Smith and the Falcons during his postgame press conference, noting that the players made the call to try to score rather than take a knee. Smith told reporters that the Saints are allowed to "do whatever they want" and that he is also allowed to tell Allen "how I feel."

It's hard to find many silver linings for the Falcons from the 2023 campaign beyond the fact that the team has exciting young playmakers in running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts for the future.

It didn't help that second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder showed little progress in his sophomore campaign, getting benched multiple times throughout the season while throwing for just 2,836 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Despite everything, however, the Falcons found themselves at 6-6 in early December and very much in the mix for a playoff berth in the mediocre NFC South. A loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hurt those odds, and a shocking upset by the woeful Carolina Panthers all but assured the Falcons were toast.

The team went 1-2 from there against the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints, and Smith didn't survive. The 41-year-old finished 21-30 as the team's head coach in three seasons and didn't post a winning record in any of them.

The Falcons will be a fascinating team to watch this offseason now, and not only because they'll be in line for a new head coach. Ridder doesn't appear to be the answer at quarterback, and if teams like the Arizona Cardinals or Chicago Bears decide to move on from Kyler Murray and Justin Fields, respectively, in favor of a quarterback in this year's NFL draft, the Falcons should be prime suitors.

The team is probably the right head coach and quarterback away from being a real threat in the NFC South. The search begins now.