A little over a week ago, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the AJC reported that Dirk Koetter was the “leading candidate” for the Falcons offensive coordinator position. Thursday night, Ledbetter took it a step further by breaking that Atlanta has officially offered the job to the former Buccaneers head coach.
Koetter served as the Falcons offensive coordinator from 2012-2014 under Mike Smith. In those three years, Matt Ryan threw 76 total touchdowns and made two of his four Pro-Bowls. The Falcons also finished in the top 10 in total offense two out of the three seasons Koetter was the offensive coordinator. As the head coach of the Buccaneers, their offense broke into the top 10 in 2017 and finished third in total offense in 2018.
Dan Quinn didn’t keep much to himself when talking about the offensive coordinator opening at last week’s season-ending press conference. He stated he was not worried about hiring someone that is familiar with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta offense. Instead, he is focused on finding a coach who can adapt to the Falcons’ identity.
Dan Quinn says "familiarity is not the topic" when looking for a new offensive coordinator who Matt Ryan is familiar with. He's looking for someone who can adjust and adapt to the scheme. #Falcons
— William McFadden (@willmcfadden) January 3, 2019
Ledbetter also confirms that there has been no agreement made yet. Although, it does not appear Koetter will be in the running for any head coaching vacancies. If that’s true, it is hard imagining him passing on a return to Atlanta with so many offensive weapons at his disposal unless he receives a much better offer elsewhere.
UPDATE: While the AJC remains firm that Koetter has been offered the position, Jason Butt of the Athletic states that no offer had been made to Koetter as of Monday night (subscription required to view). A source did say that an offer could be made as early as Tuesday morning. As of now, the Falcons have not confirmed anything, stay tuned for more updates.Â