Sean Payton isn't the only coach getting interviews notable to the New Orleans Saints. That number also includes co-DCs Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen.
Both Saints assistants have landed two interviews apiece, the latest coming in the form of an interview request for Richard from the Miami Dolphins. Richard, who also coached the Saints secondary, was previously requested for an interview by the Carolina Panthers, one of the teams also linked to Sean Payton.
Nielsen, meanwhile, has been linked to interviews for defensive coordinator openings with the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.
Atlanta is looking to replace coordinator Dean Pees, who retired after the 2022 season, while the Panthers will have a host of moving parts with the firing of Matt Rhule and the hiring of their next head coach. Interim Steve Wilks is a candidate for that role after his strong finish to the season. Minnesota fired DC Ed Donatell after an up-and-down year on first-year head coach Kevin O'Connell's staff, and the Dolphins fired DC Josh Boyer in a similar scenario on Mike McDaniel's staff.
It's a precarious situation for the Saints as things develop, due in part to the unique structure of the co-defensive coordinator setup from this past season. In most instances NFL teams can block interviews for coaches when it would be a lateral move between teams. That would not be possible for the Saints with Richard or Nielsen. A step into a sole DC position would be considered a promotion.
It's possible that if one of Richard or Nielsen was offered a job elsewhere that the Saints could retain the other with the sole DC job in New Orleans, though that is also not a guarantee. With Dennis Allen's defensive focus and, at least in his debut season, continued role as defensive play-caller, there will always be an element of taking the backseat for the defensive coordinator. It's not unlike the prior scenario with Pete Carmichael serving as the background DC to an offense routed through Sean Payton as the play-caller. Opportunities in, for example, Atlanta or Miami, would be under offensive-focused head coaches (Arthur Smith and Mike McDaniel), thus offering a greater array of responsibility on the defensive side.
It's a bridge the Saints don't have to cross until they get to it, and that also may never happen. Allen and GM Mickey Loomis indicated that the team was satisfied with how the co-DC setup played out in the 2022 season and had no qualms about bringing it back in 2023 if the situation played out that way. Still, it's something to monitor as an offseason filled with Payton trade rumors and other questions gets started.
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At this point, Nielsen and Richard are the lone Saints coaches who have been reported in play for coaching or front office positions elsewhere around the league. When Loomis was asked if he'd received any calls on that front, his answer was "not yet," as he declined to rule out that any might come down the road. One such possibility is that Payton looks to bring some of his former co-workers along with him if and when he lands his next head coaching job, though Loomis said the team would plan to deny any potential lateral moves for current Saints personnel to his new staff.