Arthur Smith fired: 5 replacements Falcons should hire in a hurry

2. Falcons can hire Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh

Let's get into 'pipe dream' territory. Jim Harbaugh is expected to entertain NFL head coaching offers once Michigan's season in over. The National Championship is tonight, so we could start hearing Harbaugh buzz pick up as soon as this week. The Los Angeles Chargers are doing "preliminary homework" on Harbaugh, but expect just about every team with a head coaching vacancy to pursue the 60-year-old.

Before arriving in Ann Arbor, Harbaugh spent four years as the San Francisco 49ers' head coach. That stint included a Super Bowl appearance in 2013, when he lost to his brother, John Harbaugh, and the Baltimore Ravens. Michigan made him a cushy offer one year later. Now, in the present day, Harbaugh is rumored to have a significant 10-year extension offer on the table. He won't leave the college ranks unless the NFL makes it worth his while.

The Falcons probably aren't equipped with the organizational prestige or elite talent necessary to attract Harbaugh, unless Arthur Blank is willing to spend an ungodly amount of money (and maybe he should be). The Chargers have Justin Herbert. The Raiders are in Las Vegas, and Harbaugh has history with ownership. The Patriots are the Patriots. And so forth. The Falcons aren't going to have it easy.

That said, Harbaugh is the most coveted hypothetical on the market for a reason. He has proven that he can coach at the highest level in both college and the NFL. That's exceedingly rare. If he can pull off the championship victory Monday night, the only blemish on his Hall of Fame résumé will be the absence of a Super Bowl dub. Maybe Harbaugh is hungry to finally reach the mountaintop, and maybe the Falcons can convince him to mount that pursuit in Atlanta.