6 candidates to replace Sean Payton as Saints head coach
The New Orleans Saints are starting with a delayed entry to this year’s NFL head coach hiring cycle, but no team has announced their new coach just yet. So while they’ve got to work quickly to catch up with the best candidates, there is still a wide pool of options to source from.
And while there’s a big push from fans to just hand the job to defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, the Saints owe it to themselves and their supporters to make sure they’re hiring the best man for the job. With that in mind, here are six candidates I’d call if I were in charge of the Saints coaching search:
Dennis Allen
AP Photo/Jason Behnken
The search has to start at home, right? Allen got a quick endorsement from Payton during his outro press conference, and he’s definitely earned consideration for the role. He’s been on staff since 2015 and his defense has outplayed Payton’s offense over the last couple years, becoming a true strength of the team. Continuity is important and Allen could step into a larger role without really shaking up the things the Saints have done best. There’s a real scenario where the Saints evaluate all their options and decide Allen is the best fit.
Eric Bieniemy
AP Photo/Ed Zurga
A New Orleans native who went to high school in California, Bieniemy’s name has come up frequently in annual head coach searches around the league, but he’s still working in the same role as Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator. And he’s excelled as Patrick Mahomes’ play caller, helping to design one of the NFL’s most creative and explosive offenses. As far as football performance goes he’s earned the right to run his own team twice over. But he’s been passed over again and again. Whether that’s due to poor interviews, a history of legal issues back in the 1990’s, or racial bias among NFL owners or some combination of those factors is unclear. But the Saints should give him a fair shot just like any other candidate.
Brian Flores
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The last coach to beat Sean Payton, Flores guiding the Miami Dolphins through a tough rebuild and established one of the NFL’s better defenses in recent seasons. But he was weighted down by a big draft bust in Tua Tagovailoa, and his dissatisfaction with his quarterback ultimately led to a split. Now Flores is one of the hottest names on the market and getting a lot of attention from other teams. The Saints would be smart to interview him for the job. Bringing in a defensive-minded head coach over Allen would really rock the boat, but change might be what the Saints need in this moment.
Aaron Glenn
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We should expect Glenn to interview for the job, even if the Saints ultimately go in a different direction. He was very popular with his players in New Orleans and has seen his star rise after coaching up the feisty Detroit Lions defense as Dan Campbell’s coordinator. If the Saints don’t hire him, some other team should in a couple of years. Glenn connects well with players as a former player himself, and his experience as a pro scout (prior to a turn to coaching) has helped give him a bird’s eye view on how teams are built and maintained successfully. How his return would impact Dennis Allen and his replacement, Kris Richard, is fascinating to consider.
Doug Pederson
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Pederson has been out of football for a year but he’s getting interviews with other teams, and the Saints should give him a look too. He’s got some connections with Louisiana (having starred at Louisiana-Monroe as a player) and is pals with Sean Payton, but the more important note on his resume is his 46-39-1 record as Philadelphia Eagles head coach (including the playoffs). He won a Super Bowl and two division titles in that time. If not for political infighting with the Eagles front office, he’d still be winning games in Philly. It’s possible a more coach-friendly setup in New Orleans could benefit him.
Jim Harbaugh
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Yeah, really. There was a lot of smoke early in the hiring cycle about Harbaugh returning to the NFL, maybe with the Dolphins or the Las Vegas Raiders or Minnesota Vikings — but it hasn’t materialized into anything substantial. He would be the exact sort of dynamite hire to keep New Orleans on the national radar. He’s like Sean Payton in a lot of ways, with a reputation as a team-builder and player’s coach. And like Payton, he’s reviled by everyone but fans of the team he’s coaching. Plus, he’s made a successful jump to the NFL before, going 44-19-1 and a play away from a Super Bowl win against his brother. He’s won everywhere he’s coached, including Michigan (61-24) and Stanford (29-21). If the Saints want to go in a radical new direction, hiring Harbaugh would be my choice.
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