Black Monday has started on a Sunday.
The Atlanta Falcons announced they had relieved head coach Arthur Smith of his duties following a meeting with the team's owner and CEO Sunday night.
The firing comes after Smith led the Falcons to a third straight 7-10 finish despite being in contention to win a lowly NFC South and enter the playoffs.
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"Decisions like this are never easy and they never feel good," said team owner Arthur Blank in a statement. "We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years.
"He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations. After significant thought and reflection, we have determined the best way forward for our team is new leadership in the head coaching position."
The Falcons will keep general manager Terry Fontenot on board to help with the next hire.
NFL
Atlanta ended the regular season with a rough 48-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which saw Smith get into it with Saints head coach Dennis Allen after the game. Smith was upset New Orleans ran up the scoreboard late and could be seen telling Allen, "That's f------ b-------."
Smith also came under fire often for his usage of young talents like Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts and Drake London. The quarterback carousel between Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke didn't help, either.
The 41-year-old Smith became the fourth head coach to be fired so far this season. Three occurred during the regular season: The Las Vegas Raiders moved on from Josh McDaniels in October; the Carolina Panthers fired Frank Reich in November; and the Los Angeles Chargers let go of Brandon Staley in December. Now it's Smith in January, with more movement around the league likely.
Whoever replaces Smith will have at least the No. 8 overall pick to work with in the 2024 NFL Draft.
