The New Orleans Saints are still looking for their next offensive coordinator, though it appears that process is getting closer to a conclusion.
And while the next OC in New Orleans won't have the luxury of coaching a living legend, Drew Brees still knows where he stands regarding the job itself, as he explained on WWL Radio this week while promoting a new Small Sliders location opening on Veterans Memorial Boulevard.
Listen to the full, exclusive interview with former Saints QB Drew Brees in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
"I would see this as a highly coveted job for the guys that are left, and obviously you want it to be a fit for your quarterback," Brees told Bobby Hebert and Mike Detillier on SportsTalk. "I would imagine that he would be active in that — in those conversations.”
That quarterback, of course, is Derek Carr, whom the new OC will be tasked with leading to the postseason, somewhere the Saints have not reached in any of the three seasons since Brees retired. The Saints have case their net wide in the search for the successor to Pete Carmichael, who was fired this offseason from the job he's held since 2009.
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While several names that have been interviewed to replace him have come off the board, candidates still in the running include names like former Bears OC Luke Getsy, 49ers staffers Klint Kubiak and Brian Griese, current QBs coach Ronald Curry and former Eagles OC Brian Johnson.
"I think that we’ve got a lot of talented players," Brees continued. "I think we’ve got a great offensive line. I think we have a quarterback who’s very capable, and look, I know that there were inconsistencies this year, there were times where we probably felt like we had opportunities that we didn’t take advantage of, but I was really encouraged at the way we played toward the latter part of the season. … When we knew we had to win in order to make it into the playoffs, I felt like we played very well. I felt like Derek played very well, unfortunately it just wasn’t enough."
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MORE FROM BREES
On improving the offensive line
“Hey, look, I know this, I trust our management to go out and get the guys that we need to get, right? So they’ll do that in free agency and they’ll do that in the draft and they’ll continue to build the team around the O-line and D-line. I know this, that’s always been a priority for us. We’ve never just thought we can get away with just having great skill players and not the right guys up front, so our guys will always find a way to have the right guys up front. I think a lot of them are in the building and I’m sure we’re gonna go out and get some more.”
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On Drew Brees ... the coach?
“Hey, look, I love the game and I’ll always love the game, and I’ll always want to be a part of the game in some capacity. Whether it’s coaching my kids, whether it’s helping out local high school, college, pro. Look, I’m not closing the door on any of that stuff. Right now I’m enjoying what I’m doing. I enjoy being a fan of it, too. Man, do I want to continue to have an influence on the game in a positive way? Do I still think I have a ton of value to add, just with my knowledge base about the game? Yes, absolutely. And I’ll continue to find ways to insert myself where necessary, but we’ll see.”