The Atlanta Falcons are sticking with head coach Dan Quinn following a 7-9 season in which the team missed the playoffs, but the same cannot be said for other members of the coaching staff.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the Falcons are firing several of Quinn’s assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.
Atlanta is overhauling its coaching staff, letting go of offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel and special teams coach Keith Armstrong, per sources. Major changes for the Falcons.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 31, 2018
Schefter added that Quinn will assume the role of defensive coordinator himself in 2019.
Sarkisian spent two seasons as Atlanta’s OC after taking over for Kyle Shanahan, who left to become the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan’s offense with the Falcons was one of the best in the NFL, but the team has struggled with consistency and red zone production under Sarkisian.
It’s unclear if Sarkisian will pursue another assistant coaching job in the NFL or try to return to college, which is where he made a name for himself. He was the head coach at Washington for five years and then USC for two, but he was fired in 2015 after his struggles with alcohol abuse became a public embarrassment for the university.
