Who are the candidates for the New Orleans Saints coaching job?
For the first time in 15 years the New Orleans Saints find themselves in the market for a new head coach, but who can replace one of the best?
With the departure of their highly respected head coach, New Orleans must not only find themselves a replacement, but decide on the future they'd like to build.
Saints' Sean Payton leaves huge shoes to fill
When the news broke on Tuesday that New Orleans Saints' head coach Sean Payton was leaving his post, it marked the end of an era. Having been at the helm for 15 years, during which time he even guided the Saints to a Super Bowl win in 2010, Payton's departure now puts the focus squarely on who will replace him. Needless to say, there is a massive void to fill with Payton having been considered not only one of the best coaches in the NFL, but one of the best play-callers as well. So the question now stands, who will replace Sean Payton as head coach of the New Orleans Saints? Let's take a look at possible candidates:
Dennis Allen
Not surprisingly, Allen's name was mentioned almost immediately in the wake of Payton's announcement. Indeed, it was even reported that he is in fact the leading candidate to take the job. Allen actually joined the Saints back in 2006 as an assistant defensive line coach before working his way up to secondary coach, which he served as between 2008 and 2010. He would then leave the franchise the following season to take over as the Broncos' defensive coordinator in 2011. That, however, would be a stop gap as he then took the head coaching job at the then Oakland Raiders from 2012 to 2014.
His time with the Raiders unfortunately ended in a dismissal, at which point he returned to the Saints in 2015 to serve as defensive assistant, but was quickly promoted to defensive coordinator which is what he's been doing since. Under Allen's watch the Saints have easily had one of the best defenses in the NFL. As recently as 2021 they were ranked 3rd and had allowed just 19.7 points per game which was the fourth lowest in the league.
Aaron Glenn
Another familiar face for the franchise is that of Aaron Glenn. The 49-year-old previously held a position with the Saints as their defensive backs coach from 2016 to 2020 before leaving to join the Detroit Lions as their defensive coordinator in 2021. A former three-time Pro Bowl cornerback, Glenn actually played his final year in the league with the Saints, making him somewhat of a member of the family.
Brian Daboll
As a man in demand, the Saints will have to move ASAP on Daboll if they hope to secure his services. A very offensive minded coach, Daboll has been heavily linked with the coaching job for the New York Giants. Indeed, should the Saints be looking at bringing in a young quarterback there is probably nobody better than Daboll to take the reigns. When considering the work he has done with the Buffalo Bills this past season, his appeal becomes even clearer. The Bills had the 10th-ranked offense in the NFL in DVOA, were a top-five unit in total yards per game and averaged 28.4 points per game, which was the third-most in the NFL.
Eric Bieniemy
One of the reasons why the Kansas City Chiefs are about to play in the AFC Championship game is because of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. A 'student' of Andy Reid's it could probably be argued that it's just about time that Bieniemy be considered for a head coaching job. If there is any remaining doubt then one need only take a glance at the way in which Patrick Mahomes and Co. have functioned like a well oiled machine this season. Kansas City was the fourth-highest scoring team in the NFL this season, averaging 28.2 points per game. They also averaged 396.8 yards of total offense, which was the third-most in the league.