Arthur Smith's Future as Falcons HC to Be Decided After the Season, Arthur Blank Says

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank declined to provide any assurances regarding head coach Arthur Smith's status for the 2024 NFL season.

Jeff Hullinger of Georgia Public Broadcasting asked Blank directly whether Smith will be back next year. Blank responded that the Falcons "are committed to Coach Smith" but added the situation will be fully evaluated in the offseason.

"We are going to play these last three games; we are committed to win," Blank said. "We will let the season play out and go from there. Obviously, this has not been the kind of year we expected; you would hear that from Coach Smith, you would hear it from our fans and our players. We understand that; we understand the challenges. At the end of the year, we will assess where we are and go from there."

Blank's comments are somewhat ominous considering Atlanta is 6-8 and on track to miss the playoffs for the third straight year under Smith. Granted, the Falcons are only one game back of first place in the NFC South, so their postseason outlook could change dramatically over the final three weeks.

Blank told Hullinger that punching a ticket to the playoffs "was never really a requirement" and he instead wanted to "have more of a competitive team this year."

Even by that standard, Smith is arguably falling short. The Falcons were 7-10 in each of his first two years, and that's basically where they are right now.

The performance of the offense is particularly concerning. Atlanta ranks 25th in offensive efficiency despite having used top-10 picks on players at the skill positions (running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts).

The ship has probably already sailed on 2022 third-round pick Desmond Ridder being a long-term solution as well. Ridder, who has thrown for 2,528 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, has once again been demoted in favor of Taylor Heinicke.

This probably wasn't what Blank was expecting when he hired Smith, who was the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator for two years before arriving in Atlanta.

Outwardly, the owner is giving the impression he's keeping an open mind about Smith's future. However, it also sounds like Smith is basically coaching for his job in the home stretch.