New Orleans Saints Interested in Interviewing a Former Stanford Head Coach

David Shaw established himself as a legendary head coach in college football, helping create an era of dominance for Stanford football in the 2010s. Now eyeing a return to the sidelines nearly three years since he last coached a game, Shaw could reportedly be a candidate to coach the New Orleans

Oct 1, 2022; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw reacts after a play during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks won the game 45-27. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images / Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

A longtime college coach could be in the mix for an NFL opportunity. Nearly three years removed from getting fired after 12 seasons in charge of the Stanford football program, The New Orleans Saints are reportedly interested in interviewing former Cardinal coach David Shaw for their soon to be vacant head coaching job.

Two sources informed tells me the #Saints are gonna interview David Shaw for their HC position. Shaw is currently a senior personnel executive for the Denver Broncos. Shaw was the HC at Stanford for 12 years and coached QBs like Andrew Luck and Davis Mills. He also has an…

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) January 6, 2025

Taking over as head coach prior to the 2011 season after serving as the offensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh during his four-year tenure, Shaw's career in charge of the Cardinal saw him bring the team to new heights, with eight consecutive bowl game appearances (winning two Rose Bowls, two Sun Bowls and a Foster Farms bowl) and three Pac-12 championships over the course of a dozen years.

Coaching superstars such as Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey, David DeCastro, Andrus Peat and Solomon Thomas among others, Shaw has shown that he is capable of coaching and developing NFL talent, with 42 NFL draft picks (six first rounders) having come out of Stanford during Shaw's tenure.

Of those players, three of them have won Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year (Luck in 2011, McCaffrey in 2015 and running back Bryce Love in 2017). Overall, Shaw left Stanford with a 96-54 record but started to see some struggles once the transfer portal and NIL eras became more prominent. In both 2021 and 2022, the Cardinal finished 3-9 before opting to move on from Shaw.

Spending a year away from football in 2023, Shaw was then hired as a senior personnel executive for the Denver Broncos, a role he was in for the entirety of the 2024 season. During that time, he helped oversee a team that was able to finish the regular season at 10-7 and clinch its first playoff berth since its 2015 Super Bowl winning season.

If Shaw were to land the Saints job, or any NFL job, it would not be his first go around in the pros as he has previously served as an assistant coach for the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens. While it remains to be seen what exactly will happen during this year's coaching carousel, a name like Shaw is definitely an intriguing one if a team wants to make an out of the box type hire.

The fact that Shaw is already being mentioned as a potential candidate for one team could mean that his name will circulate a bit more in connection to other vacancies as well.