Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski: Why fired Browns coach chose Atlanta over Ravens, Titans, others

Daniel Mader

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Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski: Why fired Browns coach chose Atlanta over Ravens, Titans, others image

The Atlanta Falcons have found their next head coach, and he's already a familiar name in the NFL.

The second domino of the 2026 coaching cycle fell on Saturday, as the Falcons announced they are hiring Kevin Stefanski as head coach, replacing Raheem Morris.

Stefanski, the former Cleveland Browns head coach known for his offensive background, will now be tasked with leading Atlanta as it pursues its first playoff berth since 2017.

Here's what to know about Stefanski landing with the Falcons after his departure from the Browns.

MORE: Why did John Harbaugh choose the Giants?

Why did Kevin Stefanski choose the Falcons?

As things were shaping up in this year's coaching cycle, Stefanski was likely bound to have options. There were a total of nine head coaching vacancies across the league — and considering Stefanski, a two-time Coach of the Year winner, would have also gotten some buzz as an offensive coordinator if he didn't take one of those nine vacancies, he had a lot of paths to take after being fired by Cleveland.

He chose a franchise with a young quarterback in place in Michael Penix Jr., although Stefanski will have some questions to answer at the position with Penix recovering from a knee injury and Kirk Cousins appearing on his way to an exit from the Falcons. Additionally, Atlanta boasts impressive skill-position talents like Bijan Robinson and Drake London who Stefanski can get creative with, on top of a few young defensive weapons in James Pearce Jr. And Xavier Watts.

Originally, the New York Giants were expected to have Stefanski toward the top of their list of head coaching candidates. And with the Giants having one of, if not the, most attractive opening in this year's cycle thanks to a rising young quarterback and talented defense already being in place, there was reason to believe Stefanski could end up in New York.

That all changed when John Harbaugh was fired by the Baltimore Ravens, immediately becoming the focus of the Giants' search. For Stefanski, that meant finding the next-best outlook among his options, and the Falcons' position certainly has its pros compared to other jobs.

Stefanski reportedly interviewed with six teams in total: the Falcons, Ravens, Titans, Raiders, Dolphins and Giants. New York could be ruled out, thanks to Harbaugh. Soon after that first domino landed, it became apparent that Stefanski and the Falcons were having strong conversations.

On Friday, Tom Pelissero reported that the Falcons were one of the most likely landing spots for Stefanski, joining the Ravens and Titans.

"My anticipation is Stefanski is going to have second interviews with multiple teams, coming likely next week," Pelissero said. "My sense is the Titans, Falcons and Ravens are all potential landing spots for Stefanski."

SNY's Connor Hughes also reported that the Falcons were considered the front-runner to land Stefanski. Adding fuel to the fire, on Saturday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Stefanski would be the first candidate to receive a second interview with the Falcons, while Ian Rapoport added that the Falcons "may strike first" before the Titans had a chance to interview Stefanski a second time.

Ultimately, that's how things played out. The Falcons interviewed Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel, Jeff Hafley, Jesse Minter, Anthony Weaver and Aden Durde for their head coaching position, per The Athletic. But Matt Ryan, Atlanta’s all-time leading passer who recently became the team’s president of football, landed on Stefanski.

Adam Schefter reported Saturday that Stefanski and the Falcons were "finalizing a deal." And shortly after, the Falcons made it official.

"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," Matt Ryan said in a press release. "Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture. 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."

The Falcons announced that a deal had been struck after a meeting in Atlanta on Saturday.

"I'm beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise," Stefanski said in a statement. "I am grateful to Mr. 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."

With his offensive background, Stefanski will have set-in-stone weapons to work with in Atlanta as the team seeks its first playoff berth since 2017, when Ryan was still under-center.

MORE: Ranking every 2026 NFL head coaching vacancy

Kevin Stefanski contract

  • Years: TBD
  • Amount: TBD

The details of Stefanski's contract in Atlanta have not yet been revealed. 

NFL teams are not required to release the details of their coaches' salaries, so it often comes down to whether those details are reported elsewhere.

Kevin Stefanski record

All six of Stefanski's seasons as an NFL head coach came with the Browns. Here's a look at his record in Cleveland.

SeasonWLPct.
2020115.688
202189.471
2022710.412
2023116.647
2024314.176
2025512.250
Career4556.446

MORE: Predicting the full NFL head coaching cycle

Kevin Stefanski coaching timeline

Stefanski began his coaching career as the assistant director of football operations at Penn in 2005. From there, his NFL journey began.

After also spending time with the Philadelphia Eagles as an operations intern in 2005, he landed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006, as he had a connection to new head coach Brad Childress. Stefanski became an assistant to Childress on a staff that also featured Mike Tomlin.

Ultimately, Stefanski would spend over a decade with the Vikings. For three seasons, he was an assistant. For four years, he was an assistant quarterbacks coach, working with Brett Favre and Christian Ponder. For the following five years, he coached tight ends, running backs and quarterbacks at various points, and in 2018, he earned his biggest promotion yet, becoming Minnesota's offensive coordinator.

After a full season as an OC, Stefanski became a head coaching candidate around the NFL, and the Browns bit. In 2020, he took over Cleveland's franchise as the replacement to Freddie Kitchens, and the Browns found some success under Stefanski. In his first year, Stefanski led the Browns to their first playoff berth in 18 years.

In two seasons in his tenure with the Browns, 2020 and 2023, Stefanski was named the NFL's Coach of the Year. However, after a 5-12 season followed by a 3-14 season, he was fired.

Now, Stefanski lands in Atlanta for his second head coaching role.

  • Penn, Assistant director of football operations, 2005
  • Minnesota Vikings, Assistant, assistant QBs coach, TEs coach, RBs coach, QBs coach, offensive coordinator, 2006-19
  • Cleveland Browns, head coach, 2020-25
  • Atlanta Falcons, head coach, 2026-present

MORE: Why did the Browns fire Kevin Stefanski?

How old is Kevin Stefanski?

Kevin Stefanski is 43 years old. He will turn 44 on May 8, 2026.

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