Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith entered Week 18 squarely on the hot seat as Black Monday looms, but ended Saturday completely fired up at New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
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Moments after the Saints lined up to take a knee with 1:11 remaining in the game, only to hand the ball off to Jamaal Williams for a touchdown to extend the lead to 48-17, Smith went ballistic on Allen after the game.
Arthur Smith was HOT after Dennis Allen scored a late touchdown. Cussing up a dang storm! pic.twitter.com/mgPX318fyq
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 7, 2024
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Smith flat out refused to shake Allen's hand, and was visibly angry as he approached him, while continuing to turn back and say something as he walked away towards the Falcons' locker room.
Atlanta's loss to New Orleans dropped the Falcons to 7-10, and it was obvious that Smith did not appreciate the Saints scoring that late touchdown to run up the score.
It remains to be seen if Falcons owner Arthur Blank will bring Smith back for a fourth season. Through three seasons at the helm in Atlanta, Smith boasts a meager 21-29 record with the Falcons falling short of making the postseason in each of those seasons.
NFL Network reports that Smith faces an uncertain future.
"Sources say owner Arthur Blank has been calling people he trusts within the league for advice in recent days," Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero write. "Another sign he is weighing potential changes after leaving the door open on Smith's future in recent media interviews, telling Georgia Public Broadcasting in December that while he is "committed to Coach Smith," he wanted to assess where things stood after the season.
Atlanta is currently projected to pick eighth overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, potentially in position to come away from the first-round with a legitimate franchise quarterback. It remains to be seen if Smith will be given the opportunity to develop him.
