Dean Pees is retiring to join Arthur Smith’s coaching team with the Atlanta Falcons as the team’s defensive coordinator, a source told ESPN on Friday.
The NFL Network was the first to report this move.
Pees’ second retirement lasted just over a year after moving away from the Tennessee Titans after the 2020 season.
He has 47 years of coaching experience, including 16 NFL seasons.
Pees, 71, retired for the first time since the 2018 season, when he left after six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Six weeks later, he was hired by Mike Vrabel as the Titans’ defensive coordinator.
The veteran coach is one of eight defensive coordinators in NFL history who coaches in a Super Bowl with two different teams. He was part of a Super Bowl-winning staff for both the Ravens and the New England Patriots.
Pees, known for his elaborate schemes and ability to confuse defenders, joined the NFL as a coach with the Patriots in 2004.
On Thursday, the Falcons hired Marquice Williams as special teams coordinator, an ESPN source confirmed.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.