The last one of the 2024 season.
NFL.com – 25 (-2)
“How do you rate the Saints’ head-coaching opening? I had trouble coming up with major reasons for optimism with this situation, and I felt validated after I read Judy Battista’s ranking of the current vacancies, which listed New Orleans’ job last among the original five openings, behind even those of the Jets and Jaguars. That’s because the Saints are saddled with salary cap constraints and currently have one of the league’s older rosters, with few clear, young building blocks outside of some recent draft picks. Derek Carr can still win in this league, but he’s now heading toward his age-34 season, and no obvious succession plan appears to be in place yet. Even in a winnable division, there’s only so much immediate hope that can be peddled for next season.”
USA Today – 24 (+1)
“The Saints gave it their all for interim coach Darren Rizzi, trying to upset the Bucs and ruin their NFC South title hopes. Like the first meeting between the teams, New Orleans was no match for TB in the second half. Who’s next as the Saints’ head coach? Have to think Rizzi is a long shot at best.”
Bleacher Report – 26 (=)
“Remember when the New Orleans Saints blew out their first two opponents in 2024?
It’s hard to believe that ever happened—because the rest of the season for the Saints has been an injury-filled nightmare that got head coach Dennis Allen fired.
Analyst’s Takes:
The Saints have tried the past several years to play a shell game with a terrible cap situation and remain competitive in a bad NFC South. But the franchise has little to show for it. The cap situation remains a mess.
The quarterback situation is unsettled—to put it mildly. Many foundational pieces on defense are at the end of their careers. This team needs more than a piece here and a piece there. It needs torn down to the studs and rebuilt—and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has shown little desire to do that — Davenport”
CBS Sports – 25 (+2)
“They have to find a coach and then that coach has to be patient with all the cap issues. They have a lot of major decisions to make.”
Sports Illustrated – 25 (+2)
“Cam Jordan posted on X that Darren Rizzi did a bunch with a little during his time in New Orleans. And while I’d like to see Rizzi be considered for the full-time head coaching job, the Saints know they have to pivot. David Shaw, the former Stanford coach, is a very interesting candidate along with Aaron Glenn. Despite the obvious issues in New Orleans, this team can still wind up with a big name that momentarily solves the crisis of fan indifference.”