After only one game as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, Steve Sarkisian is heading to the NFL.

To work with MVP quarterback Matt Ryan and the league’s highest-scoring offense, no less.

Less than 24 hours after Kyle Shanahan left to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons announced Tuesday that Sarkisian would be his replacement.

The stunning move came with Sarkisian less than a month into what was to be his first full season running Alabama’s offense, a job he took over for the national championship game in place of Lane Kiffin. But Falcons coach Dan Quinn said he’s had his eye on Sarkisian since last spring, figuring it was only a matter of time before Shanahan moved on to a team of his own.

‘‘I knew how good Kyle is,’’ Quinn said. ‘‘I wanted to make sure I had contingency plans in place.’’

The two have known each other since Sarkisian coached at Washington and Quinn was Seattle’s defensive coordinator. Sarkisian stopped by Atlanta last year to check out the Falcons’ offseason workouts, as well as training camp.

Even though Sarkisian has only one year of pro experience, Quinn expects a smooth transition for the new coordinator, who is familiar with many of the wide zone blocking schemes that worked so well for Atlanta on its way to the Super Bowl.

‘‘We love the way we attack,’’ Quinn said. ‘‘It took a lot of work to put that system in place. We have a real emphasis on the personnel and how we can feature the guys in that system. So it’s very important that we stay consistent with that.’’

Sarkisian will certainly have plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Ryan threw for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns to become the first Falcons player to win the MVP award. Julio Jones is one of the league’s top receivers, an All-Pro who caught 83 passes for 1,409 yards. Devonta Freeman earned Pro Bowl recognition with his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season, teaming with Tevin Coleman to give Atlanta a dynamic backfield pairing. In all, 13 players caught touchdown passes, an NFL record.

In addition to five years as Washington’s coach, the 42-year-old Sarkisian held the same job at Southern Cal. But he was fired by the Trojans during the 2015 season when officials said he showed up in no condition to lead practice following an embarrassing public display at a pep rally where he appeared to be intoxicated. He later sought treatment for alcoholism.

Quinn said he has no concerns about Sarkisian’s personal life.

‘‘We went through the process, obviously, to check and make sure everything would align with our organization, in terms of cultures and values,’’ Quinn said. ‘‘He’s done a fantastic job. There were zero hesitations, zero limitations.’’

Sarkisian spent most of last season as an offensive analyst for Alabama. When Kiffin was hired as the head coach at Florida Atlantic, Sarkisian was designated as his replacement.

Kiffin was planning to stay with the Crimson Tide through the College Football Playoff and, indeed, he coached in the Peach Bowl victory over Washington. Then, without much of an explanation, he left early for his new job and Sarkisian took over for the title game against Clemson, with only a week to prepare.

Alabama squandered a 10-point lead heading to the fourth quarter and lost, 35-31, on a touchdown pass with one second remaining.

The Falcons certainly know how that feels. They let a 25-point lead slip away in the Super Bowl, losing to the Patriots 34-28 in overtime.

Quinn said he spoke with Alabama coach Nick Saban on Monday about his interest in hiring Sarkisian. An agreement was quickly reached.

‘‘This is something I approached Nick about first, before I reached out to Sark. He said, ‘Yeah, I understand what you have to do for your organization,' ’’ Quinn said. ‘‘In typical Nick fashion, he nailed it like a complete pro. I'm fortunate we have that good of a relationship.’’

Browns cut McCown

Josh McCown’s two seasons with the Browns were loaded with injuries and losses. There won’t be any more.

McCown’s contract was terminated by Cleveland, which also released veteran cornerback Tramon Williams in a pair of cost-cutting moves that will clear more salary cap space as the team prepares for free agency and the draft.

The 37-year-old McCown went 1-10 in 11 starts in his two seasons. He sustained a concussion in his debut for Cleveland in 2015 and twice broke his collarbone. Beyond that, McCown was asked to serve as a mentor for quarterback Johnny Manziel, who wound up partying his way out of the league.

McCown set a franchise single-game record with 457 yards passing at Baltimore in 2015.

And while McCown may not have produced as hoped on the field, the Browns, who signed him as a free agent before the 2015 season, couldn’t have asked for a better leader. He was one of the team’s most respected players.

The Browns released McCown before they had to pay him a $750,000 roster bonus in March. He was set to make $3.6 million next season.

The team also terminated the contract of Williams, who started 22 games after signing a $21 million, three-year contract in 2015. He was due a $1.2 million roster bonus and would have made $5.7 million next season.

McCown, who passed for 3,209 yards and 18 touchdowns with the Browns, said at the end of last season that he wants to keep playing. McCown also has expressed an interest in coaching once he retires. He began his career in 2002 with Arizona and also has played for Detroit, Oakland, Carolina, Chicago, and Tampa Bay.

With McCown gone, the Browns have three quarterbacks — Robert Griffin III, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan — on their roster. The team also has to make an upcoming roster decision on Griffin, who was injured most of last season.

Bills tap Byrd

First-year Bills coach Sean McDermott has hired Gill Byrd to oversee the team’s defensive backs.

Byrd has 12 years of NFL coaching experience, and was a four-time All-Pro defensive back during a 10-year playing career with the Chargers (1983-92). He most recently spent the 2014-15 seasons coaching cornerbacks with the Buccaneers, and held similar roles in Chicago (2006-12) and St. Louis (2003-05).

Byrd is familiar with Buffalo through his son, NFL safety Jairus Byrd. Now with New Orleans, Jairus Byrd played his first five seasons in Buffalo, from 2009-13.

The Bills also announced that they hired Bobby Babich to serve as an assistant defensive backs coach. Babich spent last season as an assistant at Florida International, and previously worked with McDermott on the Panthers staff.