Falcons' Rival Saints Expected to Hire 49ers Coach After Super Bowl

As the 2023 season concludes, the Atlanta Falcons' path to success in 2024 may get more difficult. The New Orleans Saints are making an upgrade at offensive coordinator.

The Atlanta Falcons were fortunate to find a quality head coaching candidate in Raheem Morris to reshape the staff and set the organization in the right direction. Aside from a star quarterback finding their way to the facility, Morris may have the biggest impact on Atlanta’s immediate success.

However, they aren’t the only team getting better this offseason. The Carolina Panthers hired Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales to be their head coach, and the New Orleans Saints are expected to fine-tune their offensive staff, too.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Saints are expected to hire San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their offensive coordinator once the Super Bowl’s scoreboard hits triple zeroes.

Jan 8, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) talks with quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High / Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco, of course, is playing in Sunday’s Super Bowl, hoping to knock off the Kansas City Chiefs and get head coach Kyle Shanahan the ring his legacy has been missing. 

Shanahan is perhaps the most influential mind on his side of the football, and the wide-zone offense he continues to dominate (and innovate) with has sent his coaches around the league for coordinator and head coaching opportunities. Atlanta is no stranger to the success Shanahan tends to bring with him.

Kubiak is next in line.

New Orleans decided to replace offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. – a holdover from the Sean Payton administration – who had been at his post since 2009 and with the organization for three years prior.

Now, the Falcons’ rival will turn to Kubiak, who is hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps. Gary Kubiak won a Super Bowl with the 49ers as an assistant coach before parlaying an offensive coordinator gig into a head coaching career complete with a championship in Super Bowl 50.

Klint Kubiak has the NFL bloodlines and experience to match the hype surrounding the 49ers’ offense. He began his coaching career with Texas A&M in 2010 and got his first NFL job in 2013 with the Minnesota Vikings. After a one-year stint in 2015 with Kansas, he joined his father on the Denver Broncos staff and outlasted him.

After the 2018 season, Kubiak pivoted back to Minnesota, where he was the quarterbacks coach for two seasons and then the offensive coordinator. He returned to Denver for a season before joining Shanahan in San Francisco – significantly boosting his chances at a legitimate promotion and, eventually, the chance to lead an organization.

'Clear-Cut Goal': Falcons Coach Morris, GM Fontenot Eye Early Success

As for Atlanta, its moves don’t exist in a vacuum. Overhauling the staff was necessary, as is finding a new quarterback. But other teams are allowed to get better, too, and without a strong offseason, the Falcons risk remaining mediocre in a pitiful NFC South.