What Awaits the Future Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints?

Is New Orleans an attractive destination for a new head coach? Here's an overview of what the Saints have to offer, as well as the many challenges ahead.

Sep 8, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) and running back Alvin Kamara (41) head to the locker room after the game against the Carolina Panthers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Saints will have plenty of time to find their next head coach, but are focusing on the rest of the season for now. At least, that's what they have said. General manager Mickey Loomis recently said they won't be real active finding the next guy. For now, Darren Rizzi is making tons of changes in the building that the players are responding well to during his interim tenure. Hopefully, that leads to a better product on the field when they take on the Falcons in the Superdome on Sunday.

Regardless of when the Saints choose to figure out how they're going to fill their head coaching vacancy, there's a lot that a new coach should consider before jumping into New Orleans. Yes, this is a good destination to come to, as the situation isn't as bleak as some make it out to be. Here's the facts on assessing the team's situation for next season.

What a New Saints Head Coach Inherits in 2025

Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) waits to take the field in the first quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

State of the Roster

Free Agents: Chase Young, DE (Void), Juwan Johnson, TE (Void), Payton Turner, DE, Willie Gay Jr., LB, Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE (Void), Oli Udoh, OL, Lucas Patrick, OL, Will Harris, S, Paulson Adebo, CB, Connor McGovern, OL, Adam Prentice, FB, Justin Herron, OL, Ugo Amadi, DB, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Shane Lemieux, OL, Nephi Sewell, LB (ERFA), Landon Young, OL

Of the free agents, Chase Young, Juwan Johnson, Willie Gay Jr. and Paulson Adebo could represent the top priority in re-signing. Adebo's unfortunate injury could have the Saints approach him with a one-year deal that could benefit both sides. Will Harris, Tanoh Kpassagnon, Landon Young, Lucas Patrick, Ugo Amadi and Adam Prentice would be in the next tier. The rest could possibly return, but they would be after the fact. Nephi Sewell is an easy one due to the ERFA tag.

Now, going a step beyond this. There's a lot of players who would be in a contract year with New Orleans in 2025. That group includes: Cam Jordan, Taysom Hill, Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu, Nathan Shepherd, Chris Olave, Khalen Saunders, Foster Moreau, Jamaal Williams, Trevor Penning, J.T. Gray, Rashid Shaheed, Alontae Taylor and Blake Grupe. Assuming Olave's future playing football is settled and that it's in New Orleans, they could explore the fifth-year option on him and Penning. It's just something to keep in mind at this point. May 1, 2025 is the deadline to decide, for those interested.

You're going to need to get some of these young players to develop quicker than normal, and that begs the question of whether or not they have the right coaching staff in place to do that. I'm in favor of keeping the offensive staff together for another year, assuming the Saints don't hire an offensive-minded coach that could change things up. However, it remains to be seen. Remember that Dennis Allen handpicked his defensive staff for the most part, so if they go with a new defensive-minded coach, that could mean the end for some.

Obviously, you have a pretty good offensive line coming back. Trevor Penning has done some major growing in a short amount of time. Taliese Fuaga on the opposite side looks like a golden goose. You'll have Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, but they need a left guard solution. The injuries have also hurt the line, so getting quality depth is paramount for next year's squad. I don't think you draft an interior lineman here in Round 1, but maybe you could find that solution in free agency or in the 2nd or 3rd Round.

Immediate needs for the Saints going into next year would be on the defensive line, offensive line and at wide receiver. There are certainly areas they could upgrade as well.

Draft Pick Outlook

I pointed this out after everything settled for the Marshon Lattimore trade, but the Saints have at least seven draft picks at their disposal for 2025's draft. They can pick up two more in Round 7, but one of those would come from the compensatory process and the other depending on the conditions from Washington for the John Ridgeway trade.

• Round 1
• Round 2
• Round 3
• Round 3 (via Washington)
• Round 4
• Round 4 (via Washington)
• Round 6 (original pick)

Essentially, New Orleans would have as many as five picks in the Top 150. That's not a bad situation to inherit, depending on what happens with the front office and scouting department. There's always the element of trading up for the Saints, but they stayed put last year and made their picks. They need to hit in 2025, no ifs, ands or buts. They also need to figure out whether or not they address the pressing needs in free agency or the draft.

Salary Cap Situation

Mar 11, 2023; Metairie, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis looks on at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

This will always be the talking point of the Saints in the offseason. Yes, they'll have to do a massive amount of restructures and take hits here. Yes, the salary cap should rise. With their philosophy on how they manage the cap, the 'kick the can' down the road approach doesn't really face scrutiny if it works. It hasn't worked in New Orleans the past few years, so criticism is valid.

The Saints are about $63 million in the hole going into the 2025 season. They have dead money on the books too, with Marshon Lattimore ($31.6 million), Michael Thomas ($9.18 million) and Jameis Winston ($7.36 million). Lattimore's totals are split up in 2025 and 2026 at roughly $18 million in each year.

Top 10 Salary Cap Hits

1. Derek Carr - $51.45 million
2. Ryan Ramczyk - $29.08 million
3. Cam Jordan - $20.06 million
4. Taysom Hill - $17.98 million
5. Erik McCoy - $13.7 million
6. Demario Davis - $12.48 million
7. Cesar Ruiz - $12.25 million
8. Carl Granderson - $11.73 million
9. Tyrann Mathieu - $11.31 million
10. Alvin Kamara - $10.12 million

New Orleans could clear roughly $43 million by restructuring everyone but Carr and Ramczyk. Ramczyk's future is obviously going to be in doubt, and he could do the team a solid and lower his base salary similar to what James Hurst did last offseason before he retired. If Ramczyk retired post-June 1, that would really help the Saints out too. It would be about a $12 million difference.

With Cam Jordan, there's clearly going to have to be some type of conversation on how they're going to pay him next year. That's just too high of a cap hit at this point relative to the amount of playing time and impact. I don't foresee him retiring after this season yet, but his hit has to come down. That might be easier said than done, but if he did retire, it could hopefully be in a way that helps New Orleans out with the cap.

Then there's the matter of Derek Carr. Does New Orleans want him to be their quarterback next year? Will the new head coach want him to be the guy to build around? Does Carr want to be their quarterback next year? Remember that he has a no-trade clause. He'd have to okay a move, for starters. However, trading him pre-June 1 would tack on $40.1 million in dead money for the Saints as opposed to saving just $11.3 million. There's a lot of things the front office could do here, but they have to answer the first few questions before they get there.

2025 Opponent Lineup

Assuming the NFL doesn't change anything in the scheduling formula. This is the opponent lineup that awaits New Orleans. Since the Saints had an extra home game in 2024, they'll have an additional road one under the 17th game formula, and that should be an AFC opponent to be determined. If they use the same formula, it should be the AFC South (Titans, Colts, Jaguars, Texans) and based on the finish. It's not exactly going to be easy for the black and gold.

HOME: NFC South, Cardinals, 49ers, Patriots, Jets, NFC East (based on finishi)
ROAD: NFC South, Seahawks, Rams, Bills, Dolphins, NFC North (based on finish), AFC South (projected)

Other Big Questions for the Saints As We Approach Their Offseason

• Does Mickey Loomis lead the charge in rebuilding, or does he take on another role and let someone else do it? Is he the right guy to do it?
• What direction do the Saints go in to get a new head coach? Will they go with familiarity or find something new to get a spark?
• Who will end up having the final say on the head coach the Saints hire? How much input with owner Gayle Benson have since she spearheaded the move to fire Dennis Allen?
• How much will Darren Rizzi's interim stint be taken into account to see if he gets a legitimate shot?
• What type of draft position will they have by the end of the season?

Final Thoughts

Getting a new head coach does eliminate any talk of Hard Knocks this offseason, so there's that. Also, the team will be able to start their offseason program two weeks earlier than other teams on Apr. 7. The right coach could help make the turnaround interesting (see DeMeco Ryans in Houston), but I would imagine 2025 is just a toss-up on how the rebuilding year would go. Call it a rebuild, retool, reshuffle or refocus. It's practically the same.

We've already seen what has been lacking in the building with the shift in coaching, and that's accountability. That type of mentality has to come with the next coach, but also show that he can be relational. Sean Payton might have been extreme in a lot of cases, but it worked. Win the locker room and it goes a long way, just ask Dan Campbell.

Unless something miraculous happens, the Saints are going to miss the postseason for the fourth straight year. That hasn't happened since the early 2000s. New Orleans deserves a winning program, and they need to find a winner who will help restore them to what they once were. The good news is that they have nearly three months to position themselves and figure out what direction to go in - we hope.