Tommy Rees is about to follow Kevin Stefanski from Cleveland to Atlanta. The Falcons are expected to rent Rees as their offensive coordinator, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The deal isn’t official, but Rees has accepted the job, in line with Albert Breer of SI.com.
This was the likely final result when the Falcons hired Stefanski, previously the Browns’ head coach, on Saturday. Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reported then that the 33-year-old Rees was a candidate to rejoin Stefanski in Atlanta. The pair developed a robust working relationship of their two years together in Cleveland.
Rees interviewed to take over for Stefanski, but this move slams the door on that possibility. It’s obvious Cleveland will select a special head coaching candidate as an alternative.
Formerly a Notre Dame quarterback, Rees got his start as a coach as a graduate assistant with Northwestern in 2015. He later returned to his alma mater to function Notre Dame’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2020-22.
Rees worked in the identical roles at Alabama in 2023, the last season of head coach Nick Saban‘s remarkable profession. He oversaw a breakout campaign from then-sophomore quarterback Jalen Milroe, who’s now a backup with the Seahawks, after which left for the NFL.
After his only yr on Saban’s staff, Rees joined the Browns as their tight ends coach and pass game specialist in 2024. Stefanski promoted Rees to offensive coordinator after firing Ken Dorsey last January, but the pinnacle coach opened 2025 because the Browns’ play caller. That modified when Stefanski handed the keys to Rees before a Week 10 loss to the Jets. It’s not known yet in the event that they’ll proceed with that arrangement in Atlanta.
The Browns’ offense ended the yr a horrid thirtieth in yards and thirty first in scoring, however the unit wasn’t exactly teeming with weapons. Although neither Stefanski nor Rees found a solution at quarterback amongst Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, that wasn’t a serious surprise.
The 41-year-old Flacco was brought in as a stopgap, and the Browns wound up trading him to the Bengals in early October. Gabriel, a third-round rookie, struggled mightily before suffering a concussion in Rees’ second game as a play caller. Sanders, a fifth-round rookie, held the reins for the remaining of the yr. While Sanders performed higher than Gabriel, he’s hardly a slam dunk to ascertain himself because the Browns’ solution under center.
The Falcons have a way more talented offense than the Browns (running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London are among the many game’s best at their positions), but QB can be a priority in Atlanta. After the 2023 season, former general manager Terry Fontenot made a mammoth free agent investment in Kirk Cousins after which surprisingly used the eighth overall pick on Michael Penix Jr. a bit over a month later. Those two remain in place for now, but they’ve offered lackluster production for the Falcons.
Despite inking a four-year, $180MM contract, Cousins didn’t play well enough in his first Falcons season to maintain the starting job. Then-head coach Raheem Morris benched Cousins for Penix in Week 16. Penix stuck because the Falcons’ starter this season until he went down with a partially torn ACL in Week 11. That continued a protracted history of significant injuries dating back to a school profession divided between Indiana and Washington.
Within the wake of his latest injury, it’s unknown if Penix might be healthy enough to start out Week 1 in 2026. That’s assuming the Falcons’ recent regime – president of football Matt Ryan, a to-be-determined general manager and Stefanski – resolve to go forward with Penix because the No. 1 option. They’re prone to release Cousins either way.
Together with questions at the sport’s most vital position, the Falcons’ offense is facing uncertainty at tight end. Kyle Pitts is on account of grow to be a free agent on the heels of a second-team All-Pro campaign. After successfully working with tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin in Cleveland, Stefanski and Rees may prefer to maintain Pitts within the fold.
With Robinson, London and Pitts posting terrific numbers, the Falcons finished a rather above-average 14th in total offense under coordinator Zac Robinson in 2025. Only eight teams amassed fewer points, though, and Stefanski and Rees will aim for higher results next season.