The New Orleans Saints still have four games left on their schedule, but one high-profile assistant has already moved on to next season.
Todd Grantham, who began the season as the defensive line coach before shifting into a senior assistant role, has accepted the role of defensive coordinator on Mike Gundy's staff at Oklahoma State. Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi confirmed the news on Monday and said Grantham's last day with the Saints would be Tuesday.
"it was a situation where it was a really good situation for him to go in there with a fresh start," Rizzi said.
Grantham was hired to the Saints staff in 2023 to be the defensive line coach on Dennis Allen's staff, a role he retained for 2024 despite receiving interest to potentially return to the college ranks over the offseason. Grantham has a litany of college coaching stops to his credit already, starting with Virginia Tech -- where he also played -- along with Michigan State, Georgia, Louisville, Mississippi State, Florida and Alabama.
A shift out of the DL coach role for Grantham was one of the first of many tweaks by Rizzi as he took the reins in Week 10, with longtime pass rush specialist Bryan Young taking over the day-to-day work with that position group. Grantham shifted more into the background, working as a high level advisor for defensive coordinator Joe Woods as he shifted into a role as the full-fledged leader of the defense following Allen's firing.
The Saints have ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in terms of sacks and have had issues stopping the run each of the past two seasons. Since the switch the Saints defense has shifted to more of a rotation at defensive end, which seems to have led to more consistent pressure on opposing QBs as the Saints have won three of their last four games.
At the time Rizzi said the move wasn't a demotion, moreso a change to help ease the burden on Woods with one fewer defensive coach in the building. There's been no indication that the move was made due to dissatisfaction with that new role.
"He made the decision that he wanted to get back into the college game and he’s obviously been a coordinator before at a couple of really good college programs," Rizzi said. "I think Mike Gundy is getting a really good coach, so congratulations to Todd.”
Rizzi said the initial plan is not to hire any additional staffers, though some responsibilities will be shifted around to accommodate Grantham's departure. The futures of several Saints staffers will be major questions as the season winds down and the team must decide how to move forward with its head coaching position. Rizzi has put a strong foot forward as he's turned around a 7-game losing streak and kept the team in playoff contention. Sticking with him could mean a lot of key figures remain in place, while a new head coach could lead to a complete overhaul of a staff that features a significant number of recent hires, including first-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
The Saints (5-8) are next in action when they host the Washington Commanders (8-5) for a noon kickoff at the Caesars Superdome. Catch all the action on WWL and Audacy.
