The New Orleans Saints are still in the thick of their head coaching search, and one of their prospective candidates had some positive feedback to share this week.
Speaking from the Senior Bowl this week where he's serving as one of the two head coaches, Giants OC Mike Kafka relayed some feedback about his in-person interview with the Saints that took place last week.
“It was a great experience," Kafka said. "Really, really great organization, Mickey and his staff, getting to know those guys and spend a lot of quality time with them over the last few days, so I mean, it was, again, a really good experience and I’m thankful that I had to go through that.”
The 37-year-old head coach was the first in-person interview scheduled by the Saints, with that process delayed by a historic storm that blanketed much of the Gulf South with as much as a half-foot of snow. Kafka has interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs over the last few seasons and said every team and process is different, but declined to elaborate much beyond that.
"You certainly spend a lot of time studying, No. 1, their roster, the staff. You study their history, kind of, the organization and the ownership group," Kafka said. "So there’s a lot of things to like about their organization and if that opportunity presents itself, you know, I think you’ll be lucky to get that job.”
Heavy criticism has been levied at the Saints organization and front office across NFL circles in terms of their current situation, which includes a $50 million cap overage, an aging roster, four straight postseason misses and the longest-tenured NFL GM in Mickey Loomis.
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Along with Kafka the Saints have also interviewed Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, interim head coach Darren Rizzi and Eagles OC Kellen Moore in person. The latter was interviewed late in the evening on Monday, with Saints brass flying up to Philadelphia for the meeting. The Eagles are currently preparing to head to New Orleans for a Super Bowl 59 date against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Saints are the lone team remaining without a head coach in this cycle, with the Patriots (Mike Vrabel), Bears (Ben Johnson), Raiders (Pete Carroll), Jaguars (Liam Coen), Jets (Aaron Glenn) and Cowboys (Brian Schottenheimer) all hiring coaches by the end of last week. That didn't stop one coach in Bills OC Joe Brady from pulling his name out of contention. The Bills fell in the AFC Championship to the Chiefs, and Brady appears content to stay in that role for at least one more season. It's a similar decision that was made by Johnson a year ago before ultimately landing with Chicago this offseason.