Saints Coaching Update: New Orleans Now One of Two Teams Left Looking For Head Coach

The Saints and Cowboys are the only teams left to hire a head coach.
Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a New Orleans Saints helmet during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Aug 10, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a New Orleans Saints helmet during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Saints are now one of two teams who don't have a head coach after the Raiders hired Pete Carroll on Friday morning. The other opening is the Dallas Cowboys, which might go to Brian Schottenheimer.

That's actually pretty good news for New Orleans for a couple of reasons. For starters, they can take their time finding the right candidate for their next head coach. Furthermore, it could allow them to land Mike McCarthy, Joe Brady or Kliff Kingsbury. There's also a possibility of making Darren Rizzi their guy.

Mike Kafka and Anthony Weaver are set to interview with New Orleans, with Weaver on Friday and Kafka on Saturday. Mike McCarthy should be next week. There's also other candidates the Saints could look at, which would include Brian Flores and Vance Joseph.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis said that the team wanted to get the best coach possible and that they weren't in a hurry. They've also had months to prepare for this ever since they were out of the playoff mix. The new head coach will also be able to make a decision on the coaching staff.


ICYMI: Who Is Mike Kafka Anyways?

Mike Kafka gets special treatment following the Shrine Bowl win
Feb 1, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; West head coach Mike Kafka is doused with water after the West defeats the East in the East-West Shrine Bowl at the Ford Center at The Star. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

On the surface, the Saints really feel like a bit of a mess. They're about to go into the Senior Bowl week focusing more on trying to find their next head coach. Sure, interviews are lining up after the crazy South Louisiana snowstorm has passed. However, New Orleans feels like they're behind the eight ball.

Things can certainly come together quickly for the Saints, but it doesn't feel like it right now. However, what we can say is there are interviews scheduled and they have good candidates still available to hire. However, they absolutely missed out on Aaron Glenn and that's really not shocking.

We continue to look at the some of the coaching candidates for the Saints, starting with the lesser-known and then working our way up. After previously looking at Anthony Weaver, we dive into Mike Kafka.

Mike Kafka is another former player who was originally drafted by the Eagles in 2010, being the 122nd overall pick in the 4th Round. Philly went 10-6 and 8-8 in his first two seasons, with Kafka just appearing in four games in the 2011 season.

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John Hendrix
JOHN HENDRIX

I officially started covering the New Orleans Saints & other NFL topics in 2011. My work has been featured on various outlets over the years. I worked closely with Skyhorse Publishing in Fall 2018 to update the book, Tales From the New Orleans Saints Sidelines, which filled in all Saints material from the 2013-2017 seasons. Prior to joining Saints News Network, I served as the Managing Editor of SB Nation's Canal Street Chronicles for 3.5 years, and before that with FanSided's Who Dat Dish as the Managing Editor for several years. I have also had experiences of being a freelance Saints reporter for The Sun Herald in Biloxi, MS and a contributing writer for WDSU, a local NBC TV station in New Orleans. I have appeared on a vast amount of TV and Radio shows, both nationally and locally. For tips, comments, or suggestions, please contact me at johnhendrix@saintsnews.net