The New Orleans Saints are entering offseason mode and that means they're fully hopping on the coaching carousel, at least as far as assistant coaches are concerned.
There have been no staffing announcements made as of Tuesday morning, but there is a familiar name in the mix. Saints officials met with Jon Gruden during the Saints' Week 17 road trip to Tampa, according to a report from Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. The former NFL head coach, who has a home in the Tampa area, is under consideration for a staff position, according to the report.
A report from Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football indicated that the meeting in Tampa was less job-related than it was a friendly meeting and conversation.
Still, the question will loom. If the Saints did add Gruden to the staff, in what capacity would that be? That'd remain to be seen. Early indications are that Dennis Allen will be back for a third season, though nothing can be said for certain until he meets with Saints GM Mickey Loomis and evaluations are done. He told the media during his end-of-year press conference that he expects to be back after a 9-8 season that finished just outside the playoff bracket, but that changes will be considered and likely made, some cultural, some possibly including staffers.
"There’s things that will have to be different, and so I think that’s part of what we have to do this offseason as an organization, players, coaches, front office, everybody," Allen said on Monday. "I think we’ve just got to look at what are we going to do differently, because we’re all part of the problem and now how are we going to figure out how we can be part of the solution, and that’s really what this offseason is going to be about.”
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Should the Saints continue to court Gruden for a position on Allen's offensive staff, it would not come without controversy. The former Raiders and Bucs coach who won a Super Bowl with Tampa in the 2002 season is currently suing the NFL in the aftermath of an email saga and controversy that saw him pushed out as the head coach in Las Vegas midway through the 2021 season. That case would likely need to be wrapped up prior to any serious consideration for a job in New Orleans.
Beyond that there would be some fallout in terms of what caused him to lose that job in the first place, with emails coming to light that included homophobic, racist and misogynistic language. It would be a decision that creates a tedious PR path, but then again, the Saints also courted Deshaun Watson despite even more intense controversy.
Gruden's potential return to the NFL and his link to the Saints has been in the headlines since this past offseason when he spent multiple days visiting with the team and helped provide coaches with insight on their new quarterback, among other things.
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If New Orleans did make the leap, there would certainly be an argument that it's a competitive win. Gruden has ample history with Saints QB Derek Carr, with the 10-year veteran posting his best seasons of his career under Gruden's tutelage. There's also no denying Gruden's offensive skillset and the results generated over his 33 years in the NFL coaching ranks.
For now, add Gruden's name to the list of potential coaching candidates, and we'll see what happens from here.