Falcons fire defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, defensive line coach

D. Orlando Ledbetter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jan 11, 2025

Published in Football

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ATLANTA — Jimmy Lake, who served as the Falcons’ defensive coordinator for the 2024 season was fired on Friday, according to the Falcons.

Also, defensive line coach Jay Rodgers was fired.

“After a thorough evaluation of the season, and with careful consideration for our team’s future, we deemed these moves necessary,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris said in the press release. “These decisions are never easy from the human side of things, and we wish Jimmy, Jay and their families the best.”

The Falcons coaching staff was expected to undergo some change after the Falcons finished 8-9 and did not make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

Lake, who was in his first season of calling plays in the NFL, was expected to be heavily scrutinized after the defense gave up 44 points to the Panthers in the regular-season finale and two long overtime touchdown drives in the final two games, losses (to Washington and Carolina) that knock the Falcons out of the playoffs.

Morris was noncommittal Monday when asked about Lake’s future.

“We have to evaluate all of our coaches,” Morris said. “We have to evaluate all of our players. We have to evaluate everything that we do from a whole program standpoint.”

Morris indicated that he’ll embrace change on the coaching staff.

“There will never been anything that’s the same in the National Football League, whether it’s players, whether it’s coaches, whatever the case may be,” Morris said. That’s just how it is.”

The defense finished in the bottom half in the league in three of the four major categories. They ranked 23rd in total yards allowed (345.2 per game), 15th in rushing yards allowed (120.6) 22nd in passing (224.5) and 23rd in scoring (24.9 points per game).

Lake, 48, was head coach at Washington, but was fired after two seasons and received a $9.9 million buyout.

Lake had been at Washington in various capacities since 2014, including a stint as defensive coordinator from 2018-19. He was the play-caller in 2018 and had the Pac-12′s top defense in scoring (15.5 points per game) and total defense (301.8 yards per game). In 2019, the defense gave up 19.4 points per game after losing nine defensive starters.

Before his stint with the Huskies, Lake was at Boise State. His NFL experience included stints with the Bucs (2006-07, assistant defensive backs), Lions (2008, defensive backs) and Bucs (2010-11, defensive backs).

A native of Walnut Creek, Calif., Lake played defensive back at Eastern Washington.

One of the potential candidates to replace Lake is former Jets defensive coordinator and interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich. He was with the Falcons from 2015 to 2020 as the linebacker’s coach and helped to call the defense with Morris in the 2020 season.

Another potential candidate is former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks, who was a visitor to the Falcons’ training camp last season. Wilks, who was the head coach at Savannah State in 1999, has been a long-time NFL head coach and coordinator.