The New Orleans Saints have a long road ahead as they look to find their next head coach, and the net they cast will be wide.
The NFL has significant rules involved in when coaches can be interviewed, particularly as it pertains to coaches with teams still participating in the playoffs.
Virtual interviews can begin this week for prospective candidates with teams that have already been eliminated. In-person interviews can't be conducted until later in the month. If candidates are on playoff teams with a first-round bye (Lions and Chiefs), those interviews can occur this week.
As of now the Saints are one of five head coach vacancies along with:
- Jets (fired Robert Saleh)
- Bears (fired Matt Eberflus)
- Patriots (fired Jerod Mayo)
- Jaguars (fired Doug Pederson)
The other potential opening to watch is the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy, whose contract expires later this month.
With all that in mind, here are the names of coaches that have been linked to the Saints through various reports:
- Darren Rizzi, Saints interim
No surprise, but the interim head coach confirmed this week that he'll be a part of the process and intends to make a strong case. He's been with the Saints since 2018 and has a 30-year coaching career across college and pro football. He's previously served in a head coach role at both the University of New Haven and University of Rhode Island. Rizzi, 54, also has support of several key players, such as Alvin Kamara and Cam Jordan. He's been referred to as "head coach material" by multiple players.
- Aaron Glenn, Lions DC (report)
A hot name in coaching searched the past two seasons, Glenn has long been rumored a top option for the Saints given the familiarity as a former Saints player and coach. Glenn, 54, ended his NFL career with the saints in 2008 and served as the team's defensive backs coach from 2016-'20. He's familiar with the scheme, players and front office, and will have the endorsement of another former Saints coach in Dan Campbell. He'd seem an ideal candidate to rebuild a defensive culture that has lacked the last few seasons with the Saints falling toward the bottom of the league in several key metrics. The Lions have a bye this week, and Glenn is expected to begin virtual interviews during that span. If Glenn is the Saints' top pick, their strongest competition would likely be the Jets, the organization that drafted Glenn in the first round in 1994 and he landed twice in the Pro Bowl at cornerback before joining the Texans as their first pick in the 2002 expansion draft.
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- Joe Brady, Bills OC, (report)
Another familiar name is Brady, 35, who appeared on the fast track in the coaching ranks prior to a disastrous stint as the OC in Carolina from 2020-'21. He's another coach who's familiar with the Saints, serving in an offensive assistant role from 2017-'18 before rising to fame as the passing game coordinator for the 2019 LSU offense that featured Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase and recently signed Saints running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He's been with the Bills since 2022 and has risen to their offensive coordinator role, working with MVP candidate Josh Allen. A Brady hiring would bring the Saints back to the offensive-focused head coach setup they thrived in for years with Sean Payton.
- Kellen Moore, Eagles OC (report)
Continuing the offensive trend, Moore has been another popular name in the coaching ranks and seems on the head coaching track. Moore is a young option at 36 and is best known for his career starring at QB with Boise State. Moore spent 7 years in the NFL as a player split between the Lions and Cowboys and has spent time as the offensive coordinator for the Cowboys (2019-'22), Chargers and has taken the reins of a Philadelphia offense that appears primed for another Super Bowl run. What sets Moore apart from the names before him is he doesn't contain any direct links to the Saints organization through former coaching stints.
- Anthony Weaver, Dolphins DC (report)
Weaver, 44, will be another defensive mind in contention for the Saints coaching job and has an extensive resume with teams around the league. Weaver is a former 2nd round pick out of Notre Dame and played multiple seasons as a defensive end between the Ravens and Texans, and has held coaching roles with the Jets, Bills, Texans, Ravens and most recently served as defensive coordinator in Miami.
- Mike Kafka, Giants OC (report)
Kafka, 37, is another offensive mind, though he could raise some eyebrows considering the Giants' offensive run each of the past three seasons as their offensive coordinator. Still, Kafka is another former player who cut his teeth in the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 before taking over as the QB coach for Patrick Mahomes as well as the pass game coordinator. Things didn't go as well in New York, though the Giants did enjoy Daniel Jones' best season with Kafka leading the offense in 2022, upsetting the Vikings in the first round of the playoffs. Kafka is another player who doesn't have any direct links to the Saints as a former player or coach, but would be an option to get back to the offensive-focused coaching pyramid the Saints rode to success under Payton.
- *David Shaw, Broncos executive
This one is a bit odd. Shaw, 52 would make sense as a Saints candidate, but there have been conflicting reports of whether that will be the case. Shaw has an extensive history as a college head coach at Stanford, with the Saints taking on multiple Stanford players -- including first-round pick Andrus Peat -- during that stretch. Shaw also was a former Eagles staffer with the Eagles alongside former Saints head coach Sean Payton.
The other hot name in the coaching search is Mike Vrabel, who is not currently under contract with an NFL team and thus not confined by as many stipulations as other options. It's expected that the Saints will include them in their search, though he is being widely considered as the likely head coaching replacement for Jerod Mayo in New England.
Wherever the Saints land, expect the team to go through its entire process and be methodical. Saints GM Mickey Loomis is expected to address the media later in the week.