Falcons Meet With John Harbaugh

John Harbaugh has completed his first interview. Although the Giants have come up as the most interested party, they did not land the first meeting. The Falcons did.

Atlanta announced an interview with Harbaugh occurred Monday. More meetings will be expected for the in-demand candidate, but it is certainly notable the Falcons completed the first one. Even with the Giants showing persistent interest, the Falcons joined them in closely monitoring Harbaugh even before the Ravens fired him.

The recently fired coach was believed to be setting up meetings, and based on the reported interest so far, this should be a busy week. Harbaugh spent the weekend making staff preparations, and a report earlier today indicated the Falcons and Giants were viewed as the early leaders. Though, the Browns, Dolphins and Titans are also believed to remain in play.

The Falcons, who were also linked to Harbaugh along with the Giants shortly after his Ravens ouster, were believed to be “increasingly interested” in the former Super Bowl-winning HC. They make sense as a logical landing spot, and the team now figures to move toward choosing its next HC now that Matt Ryan is officially on board in a high-ranking front office role. Though, the Saturday Ryan hire also came with a warning the Falcons were not yet ready to go “all in” on Harbaugh. That seems to separate them from the Giants, who have shown extensive interest throughout this process.

Were Harbaugh to choose the Falcons, he would immediately become the most prominent football presence in the building. It would be interesting for the Falcons to hire Ryan only to give a head coach final say in personnel, but Harbaugh would also give the team a seasoned leader to complement an unproven executive. Harbaugh, 63, is not believed to be seeking full roster control. But it should be expected he would wield considerable influence wherever he goes. The Falcons rebuffed Bill Belichick, with the previous football ops staff playing key roles in dissuading Arthur Blank from that hire. Two years later, Harbaugh would profile as a somewhat similar addition.

Belichick was believed to be Blank’s preferred hire, but CEO Rich McKay and then-GM Terry Fontenot were believed to have made the lead efforts to impede that hire. Raheem Morris then received his walking papers, along with Fontenot, after back-to-back 8-9 seasons. The Falcons, though, improved on defense and have some important pieces on offense. It should not be considered certain Michael Penix Jr. is Atlanta’s long-term QB option, but his presence will certainly impact the Falcons’ HC hire.

Atlanta has Bijan Robinson soon to be tied to a through-2026 contract, via the fifth-year option that will be exercised by the May deadline, and Drake London is an extension candidate. Kyle Pitts has come up as a franchise tag option. The Falcons also have Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom along with cornerstone left tackle Jake Matthews; right tackle Kaleb McGary is signed through 2027, though he missed all of this season. Fontenot’s trade-up for James Pearce Jr. cost Atlanta a first-round pick, but the team improved its anemic pass rush in 2025. Only the Broncos outperformed the Falcons in sacks (57), with Pearce and fellow first-rounder Jalon Walker making big early impacts.

Plenty of Harbaugh interviews should come, and it will be interesting if the accomplished leader will need second meetings before agreeing to terms. Giants, Dolphins and Titans meetings should be expected, and the Browns are believed to be interested in booking a summit. For now, though, the Falcons are the only team to have met with this carousel’s top name.