What Awaits the Saints This Offseason? What to Look Forward To After the Season Ends

What does the future look like for the Saints when the regular season is over?

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller (25) and his teammates celebrate the only touchdown of the first quarter, Sunday, December 8, 2024. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

At 5-9, the Saints season is almost all but over. There's some crazy and unrealistic scenario out there in which they can take the NFC South, but let's face it. It's not going to happen. Even when the regular season is over for New Orleans, there's a lot to look forward to and it will be fascinating to follow. Here's what I mean.

What Awaits the Saints This Offseason

Dec 15, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints bench reacts to a touchdown against the Washington Commanders during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Staff Turnover

It might not happen until a new coach is in place, but everyone is coaching for their job or auditioning for the next one. A lot hinges on the direction New Orleans will go, but we could be looking at a completely new staff from top to bottom. A new coach will want to bring in their own guys typically, and the Saints might be starting from scratch again. There's some pieces that the team should keep, but there's no guarantees at this point.

Hiring A New Head Coach

This will be the top priority for the Saints. Hopefully, there's plenty of candidates that New Orleans will interview. There could be as many as 10 openings this offseason. Some are already open and many more will come. There's always that surprise firing too. Is Mickey Loomis the GM to work in tandem with the new coach? That's another area we'll just have to wait and see.

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

Arguably, the Saints are an appealing destination, but a new coach will want some assurances before taking the job. There's areas New Orleans has to improve in, and it's unclear whether they stick to familiarity or go with a completely new direction. Put it this way, four years removed from the postseason should mean all the cards should be on the table.

Player Decisions

January 6 is a very important day for the Saints. They can start signing free agents for 2025, including any players from the CFL. They can also decide whether or not they'll pick up fifth-year options on Chris Olave and Trevor Penning. However, they don't have to make that decision right away.

New Orleans will obviously need to get under the league's salary cap, as usual. It's projected to go up anywhere from $10-20 million, which would certainly help the Saints. However, it helps other teams as well. They're roughly $63 million in the hole for 2025. They need to figure out who they want to keep, prioritize re-signing, figure out the future of Ryan Ramczyk and more.

Draft Prep

The Saints scouting department doesn't just start when the season is over, as they have already been hard at it. However, the main cogs in the front office and future head coach will dive into it all after they get some other things settled. Here's a few big dates to remember leading up to this year's draft.

• Jan. 10-12 - College Gridiron Showcase
• Jan. 11 - Hula Bowl
• Jan. 30 - East-West Shrine Bowl
• Feb. 1 - Senior Bowl
• Feb. 22 - HBCU Legacy Bowl
• Feb. 24-March 3 - NFL Scouting Combine

Other Key Offseason Dates

• March 12 - New league year starts at 3 p.m. CT
• March 30-Apr. 2 - Annual League Meeting
• Apr. 7 - Offseason program can begin for the Saints being that a new head coach will be in place
• Apr. 24-26 - NFL Draft (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
• May 1 - Deadline for fifth-year option decisions

It'll be another empty feeling for the Saints and a season of 'what could have been' for them. However, when their season ends, that's when it'll get really interesting and exciting in New Orleans.