This speaks to why Knapp had such a fruitful coaching career in the NFL, one that spanned 25 years, including stops with the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, the then-Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and New York Jets.
When Yates made the transition to become a coach following the end his NFL career, that’s when he felt his relationship with Knapp really take off.
“I’d call him for advice on anything, and then especially when I was thinking about going into coaching, he kind of mentored me into that role and talked to me about all the little things you have to be ready for going into it,” Yates said. “He was definitely a guy that I leaned on when I made the decision to go into coaching.
“Then when I got into it, especially with my transition coming (to Atlanta), we talked a bunch that year because he was in a transition year as well. The whole staff got fired in Houston and I’m calling for advice on interviews and what to do here. He never stopped mentoring me. Player, coach, friend… I can talk about the guy for a million years.”
Knapp’s mentorship spanned across the league. During his career, he helped to develop Hall of Fame quarterbacks including Peyton Manning and Steve Young and won Super Bowl 50 with Manning in 2015.
In 2006 as offensive coordinator for the Falcons, Knapp helped Michael Vick become the first quarterback in NFL history to have 1,000-plus rushing yards in one season. Not to mention, Jeff Garcia, Vick, Manning, and Young all made it to the Pro Bowl a total of 11 times collectively under Knapp’s leadership.
From 2018 through 2020, Matt Ryan accumulated a total of 13,971 passing yards, which was a league-best, under Knapp’s guidance.
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