When the Falcons hired Raheem Morris, fans were sold on his charisma and ability to connect to people, which would, in turn, help the club in free agency and building an elite coaching staff. The hire immediately paid dividends when it was announced that Zac Robinson would be following Morris from Los Angeles to Atlanta.
The former Rams quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator was easily the most sought-after offensive coordinator this past hiring cycle. To name a few, the Saints, Bears, Seahawks, and Buccaneers were interested. But it was his connection with Morris that sold him on the Falcons.
In his first season in Atlanta, Robinson, with the help of Kirk Cousins, has revived a dormant beast of an offense. The Falcons invested heavily into the offense, spending top 10 draft picks on Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts in three consecutive cycles. Up until 2024 and outside of Pitts’ rookie campaign, the investment hadn’t paid off.
Robinson deserves a share of the credit, but could it be over before Falcons fans even get used to an offense worth getting excited about? Pro Football Focus recently explored the league’s top head coaching candidates entering 2025, and Atlanta’s offensive coordinator was among them.
Robinson’s first season in Atlanta was met with high expectations, but he’s largely reached them so far. Despite a slow start in which people questioned Kirk Cousins’ health (and how Robinson was using him), the Falcons are top-10 in both passing and rushing EPA per play after placing no better than 17th in total EPA per play from 2021-23.
Under Robinson’s watch, Bijan Robinson has emerged as one of the best running backs in the NFL, becoming the only player with 90.0-plus PFF rushing and receiving grades. Drake London (79.8 PFF receiving grade) has maintained his level of play with better production, and Darnell Mooney has posted his best PFF overall grade (74.2) since 2021.
Also 38 and a McVay disciple, Robinson possesses many similarities to Coen. The fact that his Falcons have an 87% chance to win their first division title since 2016 may be a differentiator.
The Falcons losing Zac Robinson just one season after hiring him would be brutal, but that’s the way of the NFL world. And that’s also why it’s a real possibility.
Teams are desperate as ever to find the next great offensive mind, and to do so, they’ll be willing to take a risk on a relatively unproven 38-year-old Zac Robinson. The hope is that he’ll stay for another season with Kirk Cousins, but that might be a pipe dream if the Falcons offense finishes the year among the top 10 units in football.
If Robinson does part ways with Atlanta for greater opportunities, Raheem Morris will immediately be put to the same test he was last offseason — find an offensive coordinator. This is a situation with which Falcons fans are all too familiar.
Dan Quinn struggled to replace Kyle Shanahan (or at least replicate that level of success) when he left after 2016 to be the head coach of the 49ers. If Morris is unable to replace Robinson successfully, regardless of whether it is next offseason or the following one, he too will share the same fate as Quinn.
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Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire
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