The New Orleans Saints appear to have zeroed in on their next offensive coordinator, and he's a guy that still has some coaching to do this season.
The Saints are expected to hire 49ers passing game specialist Klint Kubiak to lead the offense, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The deal is not official and has not been announced by the team, but it would represent a high-profile hire in their extended search to replace longtime OC Pete Carmichael. The Saints have been in this process longer than many other teams in the OC market who had already made hires, but culling a coach from the 49ers was a factor in that. The Saints could not interview Kubiak until after the divisional round of the playoffs, and the 49ers are currently preparing to face off with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Klint, the son of former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak, is an intriguing name that always felt likely, given the Saints' clear interest in hiring an OC with ties to Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay schemes. Several of the coaching candidates they interviewed, including new Falcons OC Zac Robinson, fell into that category.
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Saints head coach Dennis Allen also has a direct connection with the Kubiak family, with Gary serving as the running backs coach at Texas A&M in 1992-'93, overlapping with the first two years of Allen's career as a defensive back for the Aggies. Klint is also a former A&M assistant, having served as an offensive quality control coach in 2010-'11, then as a grad assistant in 2012.
This will be the second OC role for Klint, having served as the top offensive coach and play-caller under another defensive-minded head coach in Mike Zimmer with the Vikings in 2021.
Kubiak would be tasked with revitalizing an offense led by veteran Derek Carr and a young core of wide receivers that seemed to hit their stride at the end of the season. The Saints won four of their final five games and averaged 29 points per game. The 49ers passing attack features heavy motion and more modernized concepts and has been lauded across the league for several seasons.