#atlanta-falcons

#atlanta-falcons

Aukerman is not a choice that will cause Falcons fans to party, but that would probably be true of any special teams coordinator. What he does bring to the table is a raft of experience-Aukerman has been coaching special teams off and on in the pros and college since 2003 and has been either an assistant or head special teams coordinator in the NFL since 2012-and a pretty solid history in those roles.

It's the first Offensive Player of the Year nomination for Bijan Robinson, who was also named a first-team AP All-Pro at running back and a second-team AP All-Pro as an all-purpose player. Robinson led the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 2298-a Falcons franchise record and more than the second place player in the NFL (Christian McCaffrey) by over 100.

The decision to trade for Michael Jerrell felt like throwing a water balloon on a house fire at the time, and that's essentially what it was. Jerrell was a healthy scratch nearly the entire season, minus one game against the Bills. According to PFF, he was the worst-performing Falcons offensive lineman this season, by at least 40 points. These grading systems are subjective, but that's a pretty wide margin.

Today, the team also announced that five candidates have been interviewed for the position that had been expected to go to Ryan days ago. Lions chief operating officer Mike Disner, Panthers executive vice president of operations Brandt Tilis, 49ers director of scouting and football operations Josh Williams, Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham, and Ryan, the current CBS analyst, were the five interviewed candidates.

The Falcons feel like they have candidates pretty well locked in for their president of football and general manager openings, given that Matt Ryan is the widely reported favorite for the former and Ian Cunningham is the sole candidate set to be interviewed for the latter. Head coach feels a bit more wide open, and the Falcons just added an intriguing candidate to the mix.

Atlanta is expected to hire Matt Ryan as its president of football operations, but the team is required to interview other candidates for the role first. That may include 49ers director, scouting and football operations Josh Williams. The Falcons have requested a meeting with Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The Falcons are the second team to show interest in the 38-year-old Williams since the regular season ended Sunday.

While Miami's defense has not been great in 2025-they rank in the 20s for points and yards allowed-part of that has been the collapse of a putrid offense and August additions failing to gel that have put more pressure on the unit; Weaver had this group in the top ten for points and yardage allowed in 2024. He's considered a scheme-adaptable, player-friendly defensive coach who can also be extremely blunt about the state of his defenses when they struggle, which fans would no doubt welcome.

No statement can change the disappointment of the past several seasons. I know we have fallen short of the standard you expect and we as an organization have for ourselves. That responsibility rests with me. When results do not match expectations over time, as the owner, accountability cannot be shared or softened. I believe this team should be competing at a higher level than it has, and I share your deep frustration.

It wasn't pretty, but Falcons-Saints rarely is. It wasn't exactly a testament to this team's strength of roster or coaching, but it wasn't expected to be. What it ultimately was a win, a 2025 sweep of the Saints, and a second-straight 8-9 season locked up. The Falcons struggled offensively much of the day, which meant the defense had to step up and did. Atlanta held the Saints to 17 points-including a last minute touchdown-and the offense set up enough Zane Gonzalez field goals to win.

Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, is a spectacular sports venue with a stunning exterior that will be one of the architectural highlights for visitors in the United States for World Cup 2026. It was officially opened in 2017, has a retractable roof inspired by the Roman Pantheon, according to the man behind the design, and boasts seating for 75,000 fans.