Zac Robinson, the Rams quarterbacks coach, is departing for the Atlanta Falcons.
Sean McVay, the Rams’ head coach, needs to replace another seat on his staff.
Zac Robinson, the Rams’ quarterback coach, will join the Atlanta Falcons as offensive coordinator, according to people familiar with the matter but were not authorized to speak publicly.
The people asked for anonymity because Robinson’s employment had not been publicized by the Falcons.
Robinson, 37, coached the Rams for four seasons and will be reunited with Raheem Morris, the Falcons’ new head coach who was previously the Rams’ defensive coordinator.
In 2019, Robinson served as the Rams’ assistant quarterbacks coach when Jared Goff was the starter. In 2022, he succeeded Kevin O’Connell as quarterbacks coach and has worked with Matthew Stafford throughout the last
Stafford recovered from a season-ending injury in 2022, battled hip and thumb issues this season, and guided the Rams to the playoffs.
Gary Klein is the Los Angeles Times’ Rams beat writer. Prior to that, he covered USC’s football team and athletic department. He began working for The Times in the San Fernando Valley edition and has covered high school, collegiate, and professional sports. He was raised in Southern California and graduated from Cal State Northridge.
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Falcons fire coach Arthur Smith hours after completing their third consecutive 7-10 season.
ATLANTA (AP)— Arthur Smith, who inherited a rebuilding project in his first NFL head coaching position and failed to break Atlanta’s postseason drought, was dismissed late Sunday night, just hours after finishing his third consecutive losing season with the Falcons.
Smith, the 41-year-old son of FedEx pioneer Fred Smith, finished 21-30. He traveled seven to ten times per year.
Smith was fired following a 48-17 loss at New Orleans, his second-worst loss of his career, trailing only a 43-3 defeat at Dallas in 2021. The Falcons have lost four of their last five games and were annihilated in Smith’s final two outings, dropping 37-17 in Chicago a week ago.
After the team returned to Atlanta, Smith met with owner Arthur Blank and CEO Rich McKay. The termination was announced shortly after midnight, marking the first of several coaching changes expected across the NFL on “Black Monday.”
“Decisions like this are never easy, and they never feel good,” said Blank, the 81-year-old owner who is now looking for the Falcons’ sixth full-time head coach in more than two decades.
The franchise that joined the league in 1966 is still looking for its first Super Bowl triumph. Blank and McKay will lead the coaching search, with input from general manager Terry Fontenot, who will remain his position after being hired ahead of the 2021 season.
“We have profound respect for Coach Smith and appreciate all the hard work and dedication he has put into the Falcons over the last three years,” Blank said in a written statement. “He has been part of building a good culture in our football team, but the results on the field have not met our expectations.”
Smith was hired by the Falcons in 2021 after a decade as an assistant for the Tennessee Titans, where he rose to become offensive coordinator.
Smith did not face much criticism following his first two losing seasons, as Atlanta battled with huge salary cap concerns as a result of selling away two franchise stalwarts: quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones.
The expectations on Smith escalated enormously this.
