Falcons Make Bold Move: Kevin Stefanski Named Head Coach—What This Means for the Franchise’s Future

The Miami Dolphins are navigating through a fast-moving coaching carousel this offseason, gearing up for a key virtual sit-down with Buffalo Bills’ offensive mind Joe Brady this Sunday. As they pencil in face-to-face interviews for next week, they’re diving deeper into their shortlist—but their pool just shrank when the Atlanta Falcons snagged Kevin Stefanski, a candidate who had already met with Miami last Wednesday. With Stefanski now off the board and the coaching market tightening, Miami’s quest to find the right voice to steer their team intensifies. It’s a high-stakes game of timing and talent, especially with league rules restricting in-person interviews until mid-January for those still under contract. Plus, with the recent hires of Stefanski by Atlanta and John Harbaugh by the Giants, the list of open head coaching gigs has dropped from nine to seven, making every selection even more critical. Miami’s still keeping Stefanski in mind with a second interview request, but Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley might be leading the charge as the new favorite. No final calls have been made, though—expect more conversations before the Dolphins pull the trigger on their next head coach. LEARN MORE

The Miami Dolphins are set to hold at least one virtual head coaching interview on Sunday, meeting with Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady. They are also preparing their schedule for in-person interviews next week, moving into the second round of talks with potential hires. They lost one available candidate on Saturday, however, as the Atlanta Falcons announced they were hiring Kevin Stefanski to fill their head coaching vacancy.

Stefanski interviewed with Miami last Wednesday. The Cleveland Browns head coach was fired after the season and was therefore free to interview in person and sign with another team. Under NFL rules, coaches who are still under contract with a team cannot conduct in-person visits until January 19. Coaches of playoff teams cannot conduct in-person interviews until their team is eliminated or during the bye week before the Super Bowl.

Nine teams around the league have been looking for a new head coach this offseason. That number is now down to seven with the Stefanski hiring in Atlanta and former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh signing with the New York Giants.

Stefanski spent six years with the Browns and was named the NFL Coach of the Year twice. The rest of his NFL career, from 2006 to his hiring by Cleveland in 2020, was with the Minnesota Vikings, where he worked from assistant to the head coach through multiple offensive coaching roles, including serving as offensive coordinator in 2019.

“In Kevin Stefanski, we have found a coach with the right vision, focus and demeanor to lead our team into the future,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said in the press release announcing Stefanski’s hire. “From all our research and a wonderful visit with him tonight, I believe he is the right coach to take the talent on our roster to a new level and to work with Matt, our new GM and all our football personnel to build on the strong foundation in place and take it to new heights. He has a great plan for his staff, and he’s learned many things during his stops in Cleveland and Minnesota that have prepared him for this moment. Our objective is to win games and contend for championships every year and that is where our shared focus will remain. We are committed to putting all necessary support and resources around Coach Stefanski to achieve that success and the work has already begun.”

Falcons President of Football Operations Matt Ryan said, “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. 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 Dolphins had requested a second interview with Stefanski, keeping him among their possible hires. Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley is believed to be the front-runner to be Miami’s next head coach, but no decisions have been made and the team is expected to hold several more interviews before making an offer.