John Harbaugh is a hot candidate, and while every team with an opening may not covet the former Ravens head coach, it would be surprising if he were shut out of this hiring cycle. The teams to watch were supposed to be the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, but after hiring Matt Ryan as President of Football Operations, Falcons owner Arthur Blank landed the first interview.
While discussing the departures of General Manager Terry Fontenot and head coach Raheem Morris, Blank confirmed the Falcons’ interest in Harbaugh.
“Well, I mean, John has been one of the most successful coaches in the last 20 years in our league,” Blank said, “Has won at every level, and so he would certainly be a candidate we would want to spend some time with. Whether or not he would have an interest in Atlanta, I don’t know. I read earlier today he’s not taking any interviews this week and probably will start this coming week, so I’m sure we’ll have him on our cycle, assuming he’s willing to take an interview with us.”
On Monday, that interview took place.
The Falcons have completed three interviews for the head coach position.
Harbaugh (18th season) is the NFL’s second-longest-tenured head coach (Mike Tomlin – 19), with his 193 total wins tying Chuck Knox for the 12th most by a HC in NFL history. Baltimore was 0-4 this season in games decided by 5 points or fewer, and overall, under Harbaugh, the Ravens are 45-61 in such games since 2008.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: John Harbaugh interviewed for the Atlanta Falcons head coach position