A little spark was added to the New Orleans Saints-Atlanta Falcons rivalry over the weekend, as Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger declined an interview request for the Saints’ vacant offensive coordinator position. NFL teams can block interviews for lateral moves, but in this case Koger turned them down rather than pursue a promotion.
Koger spent some time with new Saints head coach Kellen Moore during the 2023 season when Moore was an OC in L.A. During his three seasons in L.A. from 2021-2023, Koger led a room with guys such as Gerald Everett and Donald Parham achieve their most productive seasons. Koger would end up finding his way to Atlanta after the 2023 season, now finding himself working with the supremely talented Kyle Pitts. Pitts had his most productive season since his rookie year in ’21, catching 47 passes for 602 and four touchdowns.
While he interviewed with a couple of other teams for their OC openings this offseason, Koger decided he would rather be against the Saints than be with them. It’s also possible he viewed this as something of a sham interview to satisfy the Rooney Rule, which would let the Saints hire the coordinator they really wanted all along.
Denied requests haven’t been an uncommon theme for the Saints this offseason, as multiple coaches chose to either continue on their journey with their teams or take other opportunities instead. Seeing the potential of an offense composed of Pitts, Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson, and Drake London, it’s quite easy to see how staying put could benefit Koger in the long run.