So How Attractive is the Saints HC Job? (109 Viewers)

[jasonsw]

Washington proved after many years of incompetence, you need just one competent off season to change your fortunes. The Bengals, Rams, Chiefs are also some other teams that turned it around quickly after years of ineptitude

 

[Grumpy Old Manatee]

Swipe Right

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

I think we're a better team than the Jets, the Raiders, Chicago, and New England. We're closer to being back in the playoffs than any of the aforementioned squads, cap issues or not. Our owner is relatively hands-off, not shy about spending money, and our Front Office staff is patient. I feel good about the Saints being able to land one of their top 3 coaching selections.

 

[OldTimeGamer1966]

We're definitely towards the bottom but we're also not "unattractive". Despite the cap situation, our 2026 cap has a plethora of available money available. We have the #9 pick. We have an average QB to compete with while the new HC searches for a franchise QB. We have two solid offensive tackles and one of the best centers in the NFL. We have a DT that hasn't been coached up but is leading DT's in sacks and pressures. We do have a fairly good secondary.

We also have a front office that has shown a history of being good to head coaches and doing everything possible to put them in a situation to succeed, as well as giving them time, and understanding of mistakes.

We're not a franchise that coaches, nor player candidates should run from.

We're just in desperate need of a good head coach who can also bring good coaches underneath him.

I haven't thought of it on the positive side. Nice post that makes some real good sense.

 

[reason2believe]

Overrated question.

If someone wants to be a head coach in the NFL, it is very attractive.

How attractive was the Denver job when Payton chose them? It wasn’t.

If the head coach is anything worth having, he will have a drive and a plan to create the team needed to win. Isn’t that what happened with Payton here? How attractive was the Saints job when he came here? Less attractive than it is now.

This question has no merit.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

I appreciate all of the responses, especially those that disagree with my view.

However, I will add that with the exception of Mike Vrabel, I have little idea which head coach candidates will succeed. I do have a fixed opinion of Mike McCarthy. I have a soft opinion of Aaron Glenn. Ben Johnson has been a great offensive coordinator. But I don't know whether he has the leadership and other attributes that an NFL head coach needs to succeed. And I lack the knowledge of the other candidates to offer an educated opinion on whether they would be an effective head coach.

I actually am curious about Anthony Weaver and Mike Kafka, both of whom have impressed teams in interviews in prior years. But again, I have no idea of how they interview, what their coaching colleagues and the players they coached think of them, what their reputation is like with league insiders, what other coaches they have talked about as assistants, how they see the current status of the Saints roster and organization, and whether they have the leadership and vision a successful head coach needs.

As far as the immediate reaction of fan base, I will say that the response to the hiring of Vrabel and Johnson would have been positive. But Vrabel predictably went to New England, and Johnson is not considering us. As far as the others, much depends on how the new hire comes across in his initial interviews.

 

[RJ in Lafayette]

Reason, the Saints job in 2006 was incredibly unattractive. Payton wanted to go to Green Bay, but the Packers picked McCarthy. As far as 2023, I think the Denver job was attractive because of ownership, some talent, and Denver's status as a storied franchise.

 

[Randy Jones]

Only a year ago,, the Saints were 9/8 and many thought they had turned the corner. Started out 2/0 and many were optimistic for the future. No matter how much blame fans may want to attribute to this and that cause, I contend the Saints can win next year without a major overhaul.

Talent is not the major factor. Coaching that holds players accountable is more important than talent. Injuries were a problem last year in a major way, but something else happened with the coaching staff that has not yet emerged. These two issues need to be addressed and a good head coach can fix both.
So, I dont think the Saints are unattractive as a HC destination. It would appear they may be a challenge that a coach would want to build a reputation on or resurrect his reputation.

 

[Boy_of_wonder75]

Reason, the Saints job in 2006 was incredibly unattractive. Payton wanted to go to Green Bay, but the Packers picked McCarthy. As far as 2023, I think the Denver job was attractive because of ownership, some talent, and Denver's status as a storied franchise.

The city was what was unattractive in 2006. Nobody knew if the population would return or what the condition of education, housing, etc. would be. The job itself wasn't too bad.

 

[Hedon James]

We are one of the top 32 destinations in the world for a HC. This year, we are one of the 8 best choices.

If this was the Miss America pageant (with only 50 slots available), and I was in the dating pool, I'm pretty confident that the 8th runner up will still be quite an attractive option. Not sure if she'll be the "right one" for me, but that's not what we're discussing here.

Does it matter if we're the top destination or the 8th? We're going to get a great choice. I just hope it's the "right" one. And you can't tell from looks, anymore than they can pick Miss America from headshots & bikinis. Which is what we're trying to do here...

 

[ilvdsnts]

The thread heading asks how attractive is the Saints head coach job? The answer is that we are about to find out based on who is hired and reports as to what options the coach hired had. An educated response at the moment is not terribly so.

A rough ranking of the attractiveness of the head-coach openings is that New England, Chicago, Jacksonville, and Dallas stand in the first tier and New Orleans, Las Vegas, and the Jets in the second tier. For four reasons, the Saints job seems relatively unattractive.

First, the lack of a young or red-chip quarterback. New England has Maye, Chicago has Williams, Jacksonville has Lawrence (whose play has been inconsistent), and Dallas has Prescott. Rattler has shown potential, but in all probability, he will not become a top 10 quarterback in future years. Derek Carr is 34, lacks mobility, and at his best is a middle-level quarterback. With superior talent, a team can make the playoffs with Carr. The Saints have below-average talent. Carr is not the future.

Second, the lack of overall talent. The Saints have perhaps three players who are or will shortly be blue-chip (top five at their position) or red-chip (top 10 at their position): Erik McCoy, Alvin Kamara (who will be turning 30), and Taliese Fuaga. And they have a relatively limited number of players who could be considered quality starters: Chris Olave (though concussions are a concern), Rashid Shaheed, Taysom Hill (certainly an impact player, but he will be turning 35), Bryan Bresee, Carl Granderson, Pete Werner, Paulson Adebo, and Alontae Taylor. There may be some young players who may flourish in the next two years. But this roster is not talented and is certainly not deep.

Third, salary cap. The Saints rank last in the league in the amount of money they are over the projected 2025 salary cap (at least $40,000,000 assuming an increase in the 2025 salary-cap money, though most tables currently show an amount over $50,000,000) and in dead money ($48,000,000). Yes, the Saints can restructure contracts to become salary-cap complaint. But in doing so, they adversely affect their ability to compete in future years. And they remain the team least able to sign free agents in 2025. What free agents are we failing to sign because of our salary cap?

Fourth, franchise direction. Whether Mickey Loomis as general manager is an asset or liability can be debated. I and others would suggest the latter. Some on this forum would suggest the former. Unquestionably, the team's ownership has shown greater patience and has been less demanding with its top executives than team owners elsewhere. But at his press conference last week, the gist of Loomis's comments was that the team's direction over the past three years was not wrong and would continue--there will be no hard rebuild. If I were interviewing for the job as Saints head coach, I would not be asking at what team can I win the most games in 2025. I would be asking at what team will I have the best chance of showing major improvement in 2026 and seriously contending in 2027. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch did not win in San Francisco until their third year. Yes, three years is a long time in the NFL. But some prospective head coaches will think that unless the Saints are willing to recognize that what they have been doing leads to mediocrity at best and is not working, this is not the job they want.

Again, were I being interviewed for the head coach job, I would be asking questions: From 1 to 32, where do you think your roster ranks in terms of talent? What organizationally have you done wrong over the last three years, and what do you plan to do differently? When do you expect to return to the middle of the pack in salary cap space? What do you plan on doing to become salary cap compliant in 2025? Going forward do you anticipate trading down in the draft to acquire more draft picks more than trading up to select targeted players?

Dak sucks and Dal has a meddling owner. Loomis said the new coach has the freedom to take the QB1 situation whichever way he wants, so our current QB situation does nothing to determine if its a good job. But support from the top matters. So for those reasons I’d put us in tier 1 and Dal in 2.

 

[SystemShock]

The only salary cap that matters is the coaches' salary cap. Which doesn't exist. Throw enough money at a coach, he won't care which QB he's inheriting, or worry about the salary cap.

 

[Hubig]

I really don't want Carr back. However, that is sorta the dilemma with this 2025 season. You either restructure Carr or you restructure many other players if you move on from Carr.

 

[Super]

I don’t understand how an NFL head coaching job could be unattractive. It is the absolute pinnacle of the football coaching profession. A couple may be able to pick and choose where, but without other similar options, I don’t think any football coach would pass up an opportunity to reach the top of their profession, no matter where or the current situation

 

[Clintonrebel]

It’s definitely in the top 30. Somebody will bite and be very happy.