All signs seemingly point to Atlanta Falcons firing Arthur Smith

The Falcons have fallen quite short in 2023, and it may cost Arthur Smith his job.

According to a report from Jeremy Fowler prior to Atlanta’s Week 14 game against the Buccaneers, Smith would only be fired at the end of the season if the Falcons had a “late season collapse.”

 

Although the specifics of what that would involve were not disclosed to us, it

appeared to be something like to a wasted opportunity versus Tampa Bay.

The Falcons proceeded as planned, heading to Carolina to play the 1-12

Panthers, as fans argued over whether it was or not.

 

Undoubtedly, a defeat to the league’s bottom squad would basically end the

franchise’s postseason prospects and be fitting of a late-season collapse. When Atlanta lost to its division opponents

without a coach, their worst fears came true.

 

If it wasn’t an end-of-seasoncollapse, it appeared that Smith’s employment could

only be terminated by losing the locker room’s trust, as he made a comeback last

week against the Colts in the team’s most thrilling victory of the year.

Reports that Arthur Blank will probably hand Arthur Smith and Terry Fontenot the 2024 campaign after Indianapolis was thrashed 29–10 appeared, but a humiliating defeat the following week may have changed the tide.

 

On Sunday against the Bears, the Falcons looked as terrible as they have all season. As I have stated, the head coach’s

position appears to be quite hot, but losing the locker room would be the only

way to fire him. That appears to be taking place right now, though.

One of Flowery Branch’s most well-respected veterans, Cordarrelle

Patterson, expressed his displeasure with his part in the offense on social media for everyone to see. It’s fitting that this

next piece of information comes at the same time as there was an internal shift

in Atlanta’s locker room following the loss in Week 17.

 

Although there is no connection between the two, a Washington Post article by

Jason La Canfora indicates that Arthur Blank is likely to fire Arthur Smith this summer.

“Anything short of a firing would be shocking. Owner Arthur Blank isn’t a big

fan of the work being done by Coach Arthur Smith, and plenty of people

around Blank at the most recent league meetings came away thinking a coaching

search was imminent. Smith’s series of painful losses since then haven’t helped,

nor has the revolving door at quarterback,” La Canfora stated.

 

The Falcons have been one of the bigger disappointments in the league this

season, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone if the club is back in the hiring pool after

just three seasons with the former Titans offensive coordinator. La Canfora isn’t

alone in these sentiments. Two current GMs believe Blank’s mind is already made up.

 

“I don’t care what anybody writes, Arthur Smith isn’t safe,” the first GM

said. “He’s there for one more week.” The other GM said: “They can’t sell tickets,

man. They have all these first-round picks on offense and they can’t score. He

has to make a change. You can’t sell Arthur Smith anymore.”

The way in which Smith has used or not used his three first-round picks has become a running joke among fantasy football players and Falcons supporters. Blank must be concerned about Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London’s underutilization.

 

Furthermore, since Mercedes Benz Stadium opened, the Falcons haven’t regularly packed it, and Blank notices the empty seats just like everyone else. Atlanta’s stadiums are now destinations for visiting clubs looking to establish a home away from home.

Having said that, La Canfora has a history of making inaccurate stories, including ones on the Falcons. Therefore, even though I believe that Blank fires Smith, I would proceed with caution regarding this information.