The New Orleans Saints list of potential head coaches keeps getting shorter.
This time it's Bills OC Joe Brady who is opting to pull his name out of consideration for the head coaching vacancy in New Orleans, according to reports.
Brady, 35, got his head coaching start in New Orleans back in 2017 as an offensive assistant. He went on to be the passing coordinator for the national champion LSU squad in 2019 and had a short-lived stint as OC for the Carolina Panthers before landing in Buffalo, where he is reportedly satisfied to remain at this point. It's a decision that mirrors what Ben Johnson did a year ago, sticking with the Lions despite interest in head coaching jobs. Johnson signed on as the Bears head coach this offseason.
The Saints conducted a virtual interview with Brady earlier this month, but were not eligible to interview him in person until after the conference title games. The same would be true for Eagles OC Kellen Moore, who is still in consideration. The Bills face the Chiefs in Kansas City, while the Eagles host the Commanders. The two winners will be in New Orleans in February for Super Bowl 58.
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Brady's decision marks the second major target for the Saints to be crossed off their list, along with former Lions DC and Saints assistant Aaron Glenn, who has signed on to be the next head coach of the New York Jets.
The Saints are the final remaining head coaching vacancy, with the Cowboys hiring former OC Brian Schottenheimer and the Jaguars hiring former Bucs OC Liam Coen late in the week.
New Orleans is working to hire its second head coach in the past four seasons, after firing Dennis Allen ahead of Week 10 and at the tail end of a 7-game losing streak. The Saints went 3-5 the rest of the way under interim Darren Rizzi, but has a host of questions to answer and a $50 million salary cap overage as they work to pick their next head coach.
The positive spin for the Saints will be that they have no competition for their remaining candidates. That group includes Rizzi, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver and Giants OC Mike Kafka among those who have completed in-person interviews. The Saints are also expected to pursue Moore and work to schedule an interview with former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy. The team has also requested to interview Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, who has stated that he won't pursue head coaching opportunities until Washington's season is over. At this point it's unclear whether he'll take an interview with the Saints, whenever that is.