Betting odds have Atlanta Falcons as favorite landing spot for Mike McCarthy

Dan Quinn’s seat has been heating up but few expect the Falcons to cut the former Super Bowl-losing head coach. After all, the team has been dealing with a crazy number of injuries and nearly beat the eventual Super Bowl champions in last year’s playoffs.

Which is why betting odds linking the Falcons with Mike McCarthy are so alarming. 247Sports first reported on the odds (h/t to Falcons reddit).

As of right now, the Falcons are the odds-on favorite to land McCarthy. Which is interesting because team owner Arthur Blank said he’s behind head coach Dan Quinn despite the 4-8 record. This team is two years removed from the Super Bowl and they have a ton of weapons on offense. However, the offense has not been able to score points the last four games and with McCarthy’s experience with working with quarterbacks, he could get Matt Ryan and company back on track.

The Falcons easily edge out teams with almost certain coaching vacancies, like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Shouldn’t those teams be favorites because they will be hiring a new coach?

According to other sports betting sites, the Falcons are ominously near the top of potential McCarthy landing spots (Browns first at +125, Falcons second at +400).

Vegas odds had McCarthy as the next coach to be fired in the NFL which obviously came to fruition.

It’s surprising to see multiple outlets with the Falcons high on their list for the former Super Bowl-winning head coach. McCarthy (or Aaron Rodgers/Brett Favre) brought the Packers to the playoffs in 9 of 12 seasons, finishing with a career pro coaching record of 135-85-2. However, his relationship with Rodgers has recently soured and this season has been a huge letdown for the Packers. While known as an offensive guru, many have questioned his play-calling and decision making in the last few years.

Would Arthur Blank jump at the shot to hire an offensive coach like McCarthy before Atlanta’s Super Bowl window closes? I wouldn’t bet on it... but other people are.