The New Orleans Saints have started what is an important coaching search for the franchise. Missing the playoffs the last four seasons, New Orleans is hoping to find a head coach that can lift the team back to contender status. With this being the second hiring in three years, the Saints understand how important it is to get it right.
While New Orleans has quickly created a wide range of candidates, the team has a couple of guys in-house that could be good candidates. Darren Rizzi, who served as interim head coach the last nine games of the season, is one. The other is offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. If neither ends up as the head coach for the Saints, it has already become clear their services will be welcomed elsewhere.
Rizzi is a candidate for the New York Jets opening, and as a respected special teams coordinator, he’ll likely land somewhere regardless of how things shake out with the Saints. Kubiak, on the other hand, has been named as a candidate to be the next offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
A name to keep an eye on as the Browns look for a new offensive coordinator: Saints OC Klint Kubiak. He's still under contract with New Orleans, but Cleveland could certainly make a bid to get him out of there, with the Saints coaching search ongoing.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) January 8, 2025
Browns could be interested in Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator
NFL reporter Albert Breer reported on Wednesday that Kubiak is a name to watch for the offensive coordinator role in Cleveland. Breer pointed out that Kubiak is under contract in New Orleans, but the Browns certainly could make a bid to take him away if they’re really interested.
It’s also important to note that Kubiak’s future with the Saints hinges on who the team hires as the next head coach. Whoever New Orleans lands on could decide to bring in their own staff, or they could want to keep Kubiak around.
2024 was Kubiak’s first season as an offensive coordinator, and it was a year with really high highs and extremely low lows. The season started with him orchestrating an offense that scored 91 points through the first two weeks, but then injuries hit the offense in a brutal fashion, and he had to navigate being without many key pieces.
Through it all, people saw his potential as a play caller, and that’s why there’s interest about his name in the football world. Drew Brees recently praised his offense, and said he’s a great in-house candidate for the Saints job, and now the Browns are reportedly interested in him. Time will tell if he gets a second season in New Orleans.