An eighth straight season without a playoff berth led to a major organizational shakeup for the Falcons, who fired general manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris on Sunday. The Falcons’ former franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan, is expected to take over as president of football operations.
Although Ryan hasn’t officially rejoined the organization yet, Atlanta – with the help of search firm ZRG Partners – is acting quickly to find a new head coach. The team has requested interviews with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
This head coaching market doesn’t feature many slam-dunk offensive-minded candidates, but the 38-year-old Kubiak has made a case for a promotion this season. Thanks in part to the Seahawks’ Kubiak-led offense, which finished the regular season third in scoring and tied for seventh in yardage, the team went 14-3 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
With Kubiak’s help, quarterback Sam Darnold put together a second straight strong season in 2025 – his first with the Seahawks after reviving his career with the Vikings in 2024. Darnold’s favorite target, wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, led the league with 1,793 yards.
Kubiak’s presence helped draw Darnold to the Seahawks on a three-year, $100.5MM contract last March. It’s possible the success the two have had since then will lead to a first head coaching job for Kubiak. Moving on from Seattle would mean a third straight one-and-done stint as an offensive coordinator for Kubiak, the son of former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak.
Klint Kubiak’s first OC opportunity came with the Vikings in 2021, when he succeeded his retired father in the role. With productive efforts from Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook, the unit finished with above-average rankings in yards (12th) and points (14th). However, the Vikings then made a head coaching change in replacing Mike Zimmer with Kevin O’Connell, and Kubiak did not return in 2022.
After leaving Minnesota, Kubiak divided the next two seasons between Denver and San Francisco. His year as Russell Wilson‘s quarterbacks coach went poorly, but Kubiak boosted his stock as Kyle Shanahan‘s passing game coordinator in 2023. He first worked with Darnold, then a backup to Brock Purdy, that year. It was the first full season as a starter for Purdy, who fared well with Kubiak and helped the 49ers advance to the Super Bowl.
Kubiak’s performance with the 49ers led to his second shot as an offensive coordinator with the Saints last year. In what proved to be quarterback Derek Carr‘s final season, an injury-limited campaign in which he played 10 games, the Saints’ offense wound up 21st in yards and 24th in points. With New Orleans in the midst of a coaching search last January, Kubiak left for Seattle – a move that has gone swimmingly for both sides.
Weaver, 45, was a defensive lineman for the Ravens and Texans from 2002-08. After coaching D-lines with the Jets, Bills, Browns and Texans from 2012-19, he took over as Houston’s D-coordinator under Bill O’Brien in 2020. O’Brien did not last the full season, though, and after the Texans’ defense finished 27th in yards and 30th in points, Weaver didn’t retain his post for a second year.
Following his Houston exit, Weaver had a three-year run as a D-line coach on John Harbaugh‘s staff in Baltimore. He impressed enough with the Ravens to grab the reins as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator in 2024. While the Dolphins ranked fourth in total defense and 10th in points under Weaver last year, they fell to 22nd and 24th in those categories this season. Nevertheless, Weaver will be part of the head coaching interview cycle for the second straight offseason. He met with the Bears and Saints last winter.