Raheem Morris had already been a head coach once before prior to joining the Atlanta Falcons staff under Dan Quinn in 2015, staying there for six years in a variety of roles on both sides of the ball. But Falcons owner Arthur Blank didn’t feel that Morris was ready to become the head coach when Atlanta was interviewing candidates to replace Quinn in 2021, instead choosing Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
When Smith was fired at the conclusion of 2023 with three 7-10 seasons, the Falcons made the surprising decision to bring Morris back as head coach over a six-time Super Bowl champion.