Raheem Morris hired as head coach by Falcons, who pass on Bill Belichick

Photograph: Kyusung Gong/AP

The Atlanta Falcons hired Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris as their head coach on Thursday, capping an exhaustive search that included six-time Super Bowl winner Bill Belichick.

The 47-year-old Morris is a familiar name in Atlanta, having served as the Falcons’ interim coach for the final 11 games of the 2020 season after the firing of Dan Quinn. He previously coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for three seasons.

Morris was hired by the Falcons after 14 candidates were interviewed, with Belichick the most notable among them.

Earlier Thursday, the team conducted a second interview with Houston Texans offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. In the end, the Falcons decided to go with an experienced coach who has been in the league all but one season going back to 2002, including a stint in Atlanta from 2015 through 2020.

Morris becomes the first non-interim Black coach in Falcons history and joins general manager Terry Fontenot, who also is Black, in leading a franchise that hasn’t had a winning season since 2017.

The hiring ensures there will be at least nine minority head coaches to start the 2024 season, the most ever.

“This is a historic day for the Atlanta Falcons,” owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “Raheem emerged from a field of excellent candidates and is the right leader to take our team into the future.”

After being passed over for the Falcons job following the 2020 season in favor of Arthur Smith, Morris moved to the Rams. He spent three seasons as that team’s defensive coordinator, a tenure that included a Super Bowl championship in his first year.

Smith was fired by the Falcons shortly after their final regular-season game. He went 7-10 in each of his three seasons.

Morris was just 33 years old when he got his first head coaching job with the Buccaneers in 2009. He lasted three seasons, finishing with one winning season, no playoff appearances and a record of 17-31.

During his previous time in Atlanta, Morris worked on both sides of the line as a pass game coordinator, receivers coach and secondary coach under Quinn. He was promoted to defensive coordinator ahead of the 2020 season, and moved up to interim head coach after an 0-5 start led to Quinn’s firing.

Morris guided the Falcons to a 4-7 mark the rest of the season, leaving his career record as a head coach at 21-38. He was the first of seven candidates to interview for the full-time job that eventually went to Smith, who was offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans.

This time, the Falcons picked Morris.

“We have conducted one of the most thorough and comprehensive searches and saw many incredible candidates through this process,” Fontenot said. “Raheem is the right fit for our team, culture, and shared vision for success in Atlanta. I cannot wait to start working with him and have his energy in our building.”

Morris is just the second coach in Atlanta history to get two stints as the team’s head coach. Marion Campbell held the job from 1974-76 and returned to the post from 1987-89, failing to produce a winning season in either tenure.

The hiring of Morris came as something of a surprise, given the team’s clear interest in a coach of Belichick’s stature and its interviews with several youthful assistants, including Slowik, who were considered rising stars.

It will be especially interesting to see how the new coach is viewed by a fan base that had grown increasingly apathetic in the midst of six straight losing seasons and the Falcons’ failure to produce a Super Bowl title over their 58-year history.

Many thought Blank would go for a big name, given the thousands of empty seats that have become the norm at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Rams general manager Les Snead raved about Morris’ impact on a team that returned to the playoffs this season after missing out in 2022. The GM noted his experience coaching both offense and defense.

“There’s not many coaches in the planet who has been in both of those rooms,” Snead said. “He’s going to give any organization an edge in just how collaborative he is. It’s going to be an edge most teams won’t be able to compete with.”

Blank said Morris’ tenure in Los Angeles helped persuade the Falcons that he’s the right man for the job this time around.

“His time in LA has given him an enhanced perspective on everything from personnel, team operations, game planning, working with an outstanding offensive staff and many other things that have helped him develop into an even more prepared coach in all aspects of the game,” Blank said.

Blank also said he’s changed up the leadership structure of the Falcons to become more involved with the football operations. Fontenot and Morris will each report directly to the owner instead of CEO Rich McKay, as was the case with Fontenot and Smith. McKay, a former Falcons GM, will now be limited to representing the team in league matters.

Under Morris this past season, the Rams’ defense ranked 20th in yards allowed (337.9 per game), 13th in passing yards (231.1), 12th in rushing yards (106.8) and 18th in scoring defense (22.3 points per game).

Morris is the fourth minority hire during this coaching cycle, joining Dave Canales in Carolina, Jerod Mayo in New England and Antonio Pierce in Las Vegas. The league’s minority coaches also include Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Houston’s DeMeco Ryans, Tampa Bay’s Todd Bowles, Miami’s Mike McDaniel and the New York Jets’ Robert Saleh.

There are two openings left to be filled, in Seattle and Washington.

“This is a major milestone for the National Football League,” said Richard Lapchick, founder of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics In Sport.

The Falcons seemed to be closing in on Belichick as their next coach after he flew into Atlanta on one of Blank’s private jets for a second interview last Friday.

But it wasn’t clear how he might mesh with Fontenot, who the Falcons decided to keep as GM after dumping Smith.

Blank insisted right from the start that Fontenot would retain in charge of personnel matters. That would have been a big change for Belichick, who had total control over all football-related matters during his tenure in New England.

But, while speculation about Belichick swirled, the Falcons made it clear they were considering a large group of candidates that also included former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh, who wound up taking an offer from the Los Angeles Chargers, and ex-Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel.