Atlanta Falcons set second interview with champion head coach

Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Teams who fall short of expectations often make rash decisions trying to overcome their recent struggles. The Atlanta Falcons, after three years of missing the postseason, fired Arthur Smith and have spent their energy trying to find a new head coach ever since.

After a 21-30 record, now the Falcons have to find a way to improve. Obviously, player movement this offseason can help spur that effort, but first, Atlanta needs to find out who will coach all this talent.

Jim Harbaugh takes another step toward filling Atlanta Falcons’ vacancy

The Atlanta Falcons have cast a wide net in their head coaching search, including meeting with future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick on two occasions. But as you can imagine, the Falcons likely aren’t the only ones trying to hire arguably the greatest coach in NFL history. In turn, the Falcons need a strong contingency plan in place.

If not Belichick, who better than new college football champion Jim Harbaugh? Not only has he proven he can win at the highest level in college, he’s also shown he can take an NFL team to the Super Bowl during his days leading the San Francisco 49ers too.

Harbaugh has already met with the Falcons once. Now, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Falcons have scheduled a second interview with Harbaugh for next week.

Typically, teams don’t reach the second interview stage unless there’s mutual interest. Obviously, the Falcons still need a head coach. Plus, what if the NFL’s highest-paid head coach today is currently angling for an even bigger raise to join Atlanta? Having Harbaugh as additional leverage in contract negotiations never hurts.

The same remains true for Harbaugh, who remains a top candidate for the Los Angeles Chargers too. Could Harbaugh be using the Falcons as leverage, or is it the other way around? Or is Harbaugh truly the top candidate in Atlanta? If so, the Falcons may be close to hiring one of the best coaches available.