Saints Lose Team Legend to Steelers in Coaching Staff Blow

The New Orleans Saints got some not-so-great news from a coaching perspective on Thursday.

First off, reports surfaced indicating that Saints quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien will interview for the Pittsburgh Steelers' open offensive coordinator job under new head coach, Mike McCarthy. That's not all, though. On Thursday night, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported that the Steelers are also expected to hire away Saints assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans.

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"The Steelers are currently expected to hire Saints assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans, sources tell CBS Sports," Zenitz wrote. "Evans, a former star offensive guard for the Saints and a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026, has worked for the Saints the last four years."

The former Saints star is reportedly leaving

Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints guard Jahri Evans (73) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Saints defeated the Cardinals 48-41. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

That would be no small loss. Evans played 12 years in the National Football League, including 11 seasons in New Orleans. Throughout his career, he was among the top overall offensive linemen in the game. He finished his career with Pro Bowl nods and was named an All-Pro five times. He won a Super Bowl in New Orleans and was a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

Seeing the term "assistant offensive line coach" may not sound like a massive loss in the grand scheme of all of the roles with a team, when you lose a team legend who has had plenty of success with the franchise, that's tough.

The Saints have some very good, young linemen. Being able to learn from someone who has been there and done that in New Orleans is an advantage. But it sounds like he'll be leaving to join Pittsburgh this offseason.

Evans' playing career ended after the 2017 season. He has been coaching in different capacities with the Saints since 2022. He began as a coaching intern, then was promoted to offensive assistant and then to assistant offensive line coach. If he does leave, hopefully he finds success over in Pittsburgh.

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