Dennis Allen headlines potential Saints losses to 2022 hiring cycle

Few coaching staffs were hit harder last year than the New Orleans Saints, who lost a number of key position coaches to other teams around the league — including their former tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who took secondary coach Aaron Glenn with him to go rebuild the Detroit Lions. Longtime quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi and defensive assistant Michael Wilhoite both joined Brandon Staley’s first-year Los Angeles Chargers regime.

Now the cycle is beginning again, and the Saints could experience more upheaval. So which of their coaches and executives could be on the move as jobs open up across the NFL? Whether they’re considered for a head coach position or a bigger role as a coordinator or assistant, the Saints have some attractive candidates on their roster. Let’s dig in, starting with the most obvious possible departure:

Dennis Allen, defensive coordinator

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Allen, 49, interviewed for the open Miami Dolphins job in 2019 and the vacant Philadelphia Eagles position in 2020, and he has only seen his star rise higher since then. His defense was among the NFL’s best this season and he should draw more attention in the days and weeks ahead. His three-year run as the then-Oakland Raiders head coach didn’t go well (his Raiders teams went 8-28, and Allen was dismissed four games into his third season) but he’s obviously learned a lot from the experience and from returning to Sean Payton’s staff in New Orleans.

Ryan Nielsen, defensive line/assistant head coach

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Nielsen, 42, was nearly hired away by the LSU Tigers last season, but Payton kept him on staff with a pay raise and promotion to Campbell’s vacant spot as assistant head coach. He was also interviewed for the Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator job, so other pro teams are keeping an eye on him. A talented recruiter in college, Nielsen has coached up some really strong Saints defensive lines in recent years.

Pete Carmichael Jr., offensive coordinator

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Carmichael, 50, has been Payton’s right-hand man almost from Day 1 and is one of the longest-tenured coordinators around the league. But he’s largely been content to keep the offense running on schedule in New Orleans, only twice interviewing for head coaching jobs: former Saints scout Ryan Pace tried to bring him along to the Chicago Bears in 2013 and 2017, and the Green Bay Packers considered him as their Mike McCarthy replacement in 2019. But he’s remained in New Orleans. Could another opening finally lure him away?

Kris Richard, secondary

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Richard, 42, had a triumphant first season in New Orleans, helping scout, draft, and develop third-round rookie Paulson Adebo into an every-down starter. He also pushed Marshon Lattimore into turning in his most consistent season since his rookie year. So many Saints defensive backs have been together for so long that you’d like to think they could keep it moving if Richard is hired away, but he’s been such a positive influence that it’s worth finding a way to keep him if the teams that once interviewed him for head coach jobs circle back after firing the guys they passed him for.

Jeff Ireland, assistant general manager/college scouting director

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Ireland, 51, interviewed for two different general manager jobs last offseason: the Carolina Panthers (who hired Scott Fitterer) and the Detroit Lions (who picked Brad Holmes, who then hired Campbell). It’s a post he’s held before with the Miami Dolphins and he’s been very open about his interest in running another organization. The Saints college scouting department has really turned a corner under his management and you’d like to keep him around, maybe moving Mickey Loomis to a higher executive post if you need to. But the Saints wouldn’t have let him interview with other teams last year if they weren’t comfortable with the idea of losing him.

Khai Harley, vice president of football administration

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Harley, age unknown (he may be 47, having begun his studies at Rutgers in 1993, per his LinkedIn profile), is one of the most important and least-visible members of the Saints’ organization — so much so that there isn’t a single photo of him in the combined archives of USA Today, Getty Images, and the Associated Press. He’s been a part of the team since 2008 and has largely focused his efforts on navigating complicated salary cap mechanics, maximizing their resources to compete every single year. But with former coworkers like Terry Fontenot rising to prominence as Atlanta Falcons general manger, it feels like only a matter of time before another team snaps him up. You can get to know him better in this interview with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill or this feature from the Athletic’s Katherine Terrell.

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