The New Orleans Saints are currently conducting a coaching search, and Darren Rizzi is one of the candidates. After years as the special teams coordinator, Rizzi took over as interim head coach for eight games after Dennis Allen was fired. The team went 3-5 under his lead, but he showcased some leadership that made him a worthy candidate.
While everyone waits to see what happens with the coaching search, it’s safe to say a lot of people would want to see Rizzi return on the staff even if he isn’t the head coach. Unfortunately, that seems a bit unlikely. Not only is Rizzi interviewing for other head coach openings, but there’s a special teams coordinator opening that’s perfect for him.
On Friday, it was reported that the Denver Broncos fired their special teams coach Ben Kotwica. Because of the connection to Sean Payton, Rizzi was immediately named as a name to watch.
The #Broncos have fired special teams coach Ben Kotwica, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 17, 2025
With #Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi available, that’s quickly a name that makes sense for Sean Payton. Would expect they speak to him, at the least.
Darren Rizzi named as a candidate for Broncos’ special teams coordinator
Rizzi came to the Saints in 2019 as the special teams coordinator, and Sean Payton was the head coach at the time. The two coached three seasons together until Payton’s initial retirement. Rizzi remained in New Orleans, and Payton eventually made his way to Denver.
During his two years with the Broncos, Sean Payton has already brought several coaches and players from New Orleans to Denver with him. When the Saints moved on from Pete Carmichael Jr. last offseason, he immediately made his way to the Broncos. Now, Rizzi could be the next person to take that journey.
While it would be great for him to return to the staff and resume his role as the special teams coordinator under the new head coach, that’s unlikely to happen. While coordinators are retained by new coaches sometimes, that’s usually harder to do when a coach has held the head coach role. That means Rizzi is likely moving on if someone else is hired, and the Saints will have a new special teams coordinator.