There’s been a lot of consternation about the New Orleans Saints’ search for a new head coach — not helped by media analysts who rank the team’s opening among the worst in the NFL this offseason. Just why is it taking so long to find a full-time replacement for Dennis Allen? Is it because nobody wants the job?
Patience is a virtue. We’ve already seen the Saints interview half of the candidates they’ve requested meetings with, having spoken with Anthony Weaver, Mike Kafka, and Aaron Glenn in NFL-mandated virtual interviews. Those same NFL rules are slowing down the search.
Coaches who are preparing for wild-card round playoff games like Joe Brady (whose Buffalo Bills play the Denver Broncos), Kellen Moore (whose Philadelphia Eagles host the Green Bay Packers), and Kliff Kingsbury (whose Washington Commanders are visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) can’t interview until next week. Glenn, whose Detroit Lions were on bye this week, was one of the few playoff coaches allowed to speak with other teams.
NFL rules changes have made head coach hirings a long process; gone are the days of Andy Reid being fired by the Philadelphia Eagles on a Monday and hired by the Kansas City Chiefs that Friday. And when coaches working playoff games are involved, the rules dictate they keep their focus on winning and advancing in the postseason, at least to start out. The soonest the Saints could speak with any of those three candidates would be three days after their wild-card games, and even then only virtually. It’ll be weeks before anyone is sitting down in person across from Mickey Loomis in New Orleans.
So guys like Brady and Kingsbury are playing coy when asked about those opportunities. They know what’s at stake with a loss on Sunday and they’ll get to consider what’s next for their careers when the time comes.