Raheem Morris on Return to Falcons: 'This Is Coming Home'

Raheem Morris was with the Atlanta Falcons for six seasons from 2015 to 2020 before getting hired as their head coach this offseason.

Few things in sports are as satisfying as coming home. 

For Raheem Morris, that's what he'll be doing after getting hired as the Atlanta Falcons head coach. Morris cut his teeth in Atlanta for six seasons before becoming the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator in 2021. 

With Morris coming back to Atlanta, it solidifies that this is the place that is his home, and the significance of that isn't lost upon him.

Feb 5, 2024; Atlanta, GA, USA; Raheem Morris addresses the media after being introduced as the new head coach of the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

"This is coming home," Morris said. "When you get a chance to go back home in this profession, it is extremely important. It is extremely critical to everybody involved. That was a special moment, not just for me but for my family, for everybody involved, for the media members that I see around, that I know."

Morris, 47, grew up in the NFL, getting his start as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive backs coach in 2007 and eventually becoming their head coach in 2009 at 32 years old. Morris was fired after three seasons, then became the Washington Commanders' defensive backs coach from 2012 to 2014. 

Morris landed in Atlanta in 2015, where he was part of a star-studded coaching staff that included three current head coaches and held many different roles, ranging from defensive pass game coordinator to assistant head coach to receivers coach. After former head coach Dan Quinn was fired five games into the 2020 season, Morris became the interim head coach, and Atlanta went 4-7 with him at the helm. 

Falcons' Morris Credits Growth to Rams' McVay

After being passed over to become the Falcons' head coach full-time, Morris went to the Rams, where he made the playoffs twice and won a Super Bowl. With the lessons learned both from the Rams and his previous stint in Atlanta, Morris is ready to help the Falcons get over the hump in his second coaching stint.

"A big part of what we do here is listening, and when I was here, I had the ability to grow and learn and develop, and switching both sides of the ball like I just mentioned at the same place at the same time doing whatever it takes to win football games...Being here in 2016 and reaching the pinnacle and just coming up short, that was a real critical moment for me."