The NFL coaching cycle continues to churn as several head coach openings have been filled.
The Atlanta Falcons hired recently-fired Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, and he has been working to fill out his staff. On Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that the Falcons blocked an interview request by the San Francisco 49ers, who wanted to interview secondary coach Justin Hood.
The 49ers requested an interview with Falcons secondary coach Justin Hood for a high-ranking staff position, but Atlanta blocked it, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 22, 2026
New Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski retained DC Jeff Ulbrich and wants to keep some other staff members in place as well.
Stefanski hired Tommy Rees as his new offensive coordinator, and Rees was also with Stefanski in Cleveland with the same role.
The Falcons kept DC Jeff Ulbrich in the position, and now they also want Hood to stick around with the organization. Hood turns 40 years old in June and he spent three years as a defensive quality control coach with the Green Bay Packers before Raheem Morris brought him to Atlanta in 2024.
While Pelissero did not report which job the 49ers wanted to interview Hood for, it comes just days after former 49ers DC Robert Saleh was hired as the Tennessee Titans’ head coach.
But, for now, Hood is staying in Atlanta as Stefanski tries to keep some of the defensive staff together entering his first season with the Falcons.
