In recent years, just about anyone who has paid attention to the New Orleans Saints has pointed out how the franchise is in a really bad spot. The team isn’t built to contend for a title, the roster is really old, and the cap situation is horrendous. That’s why analysts and fans have spent the last few years arguing that the team needs a complete rebuild.
The one person that hasn’t accepted the position the franchise is in is the person who’s calling the shots: Mickey Loomis. The longtime general manager has made excuses after excuse, as the team underwhelms each season, and it doesn’t seem like he has accepted the reality of how the Saints are viewed throughout the league.
With an important coaching search this offseason, Loomis was asked about the attractiveness of New Orleans’ head coaching position and how he would pitch the team to candidates. He responded by saying it’s an attractive job because it’s one of only 32 positions in the world, believing that alone would attract promising candidates to the Saints. However, Loomis should have since learned that’s not the case at all.
With seven teams making changes at the head coach position this offseason, New Orleans is the only one that hasn’t hired a new coach yet. This isn’t because the Saints are carrying out a deliberate process. They have interviewed a lot of candidates, and also had to briefly pause their search because of a winter storm in the Gulf Coast. However, the search process has made it abundantly clear how the franchise is viewed throughout the league.
While not explicitly saying the Saints are a mess, multiple candidates made it obvious that New Orleans is not a place they want to coach right now. One of those candidates was Aaron Glenn, who was reportedly the Saints’ top option. Glenn played in New Orleans and spent multiple years on the staff as secondary coach. Still, he decided to accept the head coach role for the New York Jets without even having an in-person interview with the Saints.
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady did something similar, pulling himself out of New Orleans’ coaching search, despite being among the handful of candidates scheduled for an in-person interview. Like Glenn, Brady too previously spent time on the Saints’ staff.
“The mirror is unavoidable when Aaron Glenn and Joe Brady, two guys who got their break here, are holding it up.” https://t.co/acOOWeHwcu
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) January 26, 2025
Both guys refusing to even have in-person interviews with the franchise should speak volumes about the state of the team. The question is if the person who needs to hear the message most is even listening. That person is Mickey Loomis, and if this situation doesn’t wake him up and make him face the music, nothing will.