It's been a long time since the New Orleans Saints had a first-year, first-time head coach.
Dennis Allen was a head coach prior to his Saints tenure, so you'd have to go back to Sean Payton in 2006 for the last time they had a first-year, first-time head coach. Kellen Moore is now in the driver's seat for New Orleans, being the NFL's youngest head coach at 36.
Moore has a lot on his plate already, and it feels like most have some very tempered expectations when it comes to what the first year will look like. However, Moore told the media during his introductory press conference on Tuesday that the Saints are going to compete for the division.
Most of the work ahead for Kellen Moore is what he does with the staff and players, but it's not the only thing. So, what are some of the important items and dates for his first year in the offseason?
We looked at February dates previously, but the Scouting Combine is the biggest thing coming. New Orleans will also have Pro Days to attend as well as their Top-30 visits leading up to the draft. The Saints won't have to worry about Hard Knocks this year, which is a relief. Here's what it looks like for Moore over the next several months.
March 10-12: The NFL's 'Legal' Tampering Period
This is a chance for teams to get an early jump on free agency, which is designed for communication between the team and player agents.
March 12: New League Year
Starting at 3 p.m. CT, the Saints and the rest of the NFL teams must be in compliance with the salary cap and this is when free agents may be officially signed to the team after the 'legal tampering' period. We should know more about the futures of players like Taysom Hill, Derek Carr and others well before this.
March 28: UFL Season Begins
The Saints could do scouting to get some extra talent. Think of someone like Kevin Austin Jr. here. A lot of these players might have got their start in the NFL and then things didn't pan out, and the UFL gives them an opportunity to hopefully land with a squad. Their season goes through early June.
March 30-Apr. 2: NFL Annual League Meeting (The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida)
The head coaches get together for a photo, so it'll be the first time we'll see Kellen Moore in that setting. This is also where a lot of the big rule changes and other league items get handled.
Apr. 7: Kellen Moore Can Really Get To Work
An offseason program can begin for the Saints being that Moore is a new head coach. They can get started up to two weeks earlier than other teams. There's phases to this, so it's not like they'll be running full practices and such. However, it's a great opportunity for players to learn new schemes and other items.
Apr. 24-26: NFL Draft (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
New Orleans has several picks in the draft this year, but the main thing is as many as six in the Top 150. Keep in mind that the NFL's compensatory process will likely change some of the pick positions, and there's some accounting details to pay attention to for some Day 3 picks.
May 1: Fifth-Year Option Deadline
A deadline for fifth-year option decisions on Chris Olave and Trevor Penning await the Saints. Olave's cost is projected to be just over $15 million, while Penning's is around $17.4 million.
May 2-5 or May 9-12: Rookie Minicamp
The Saints can choose which three-day weekend to hold rookie minicamp following the draft. It'll be the first time we get to see the 2025 class in action, as well as undrafted talent and tryouts. In addition to this, there's a Rookie Development Program on May 12 and the NFLPA Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles on May 14. Spencer Rattler was there for New Orleans last year.
May 20-21 - Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator (Omni Viking Lakes Hotel, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
If the Saints have anyone on the list, the coaches will be a part of developmental sessions that focus on helping potential candidates advance leadership skills and business acumen along with key networking opportunities with owners.
Mid-May: Saints Hall of Fame Golf Classic
A more lighthearted event held in Kenner at the Chateau Country Club should have some former legends, present players, Kellen Moore (assuming he plays) and Mickey Loomis come together.
Mid-May: NFL Schedule Release
Kellen Moore has faced 11 of the 14 Saints opponents in the past two years, but we'll get an idea of how his season will stack up. New Orleans will also face off against Dennis Allen in Chicago and Klint Kubiak and company in Seattle.
Late May: Three Weeks of OTAs
The Saints had 10 days of OTAs last year in a span of three weeks. The media typically gets access to one session each week. It'll be the first opportunity to see a good bulk of the team together, but they are voluntary.
Mid-June: Mandatory Minicamp
A three-day mandatory minicamp session will have all the Saints in attendance, with the exception of any injured players. Last year created a huge buzz when Alvin Kamara walked out on the final day, but that turned out okay.
Late June: Rookie Readiness Program
Also known as the Rookie Transition Program, this will see both drafted and undrafted rookies get introduced to all of the resources that are available to them at the NFL level. This is typically held at the team's facility and covers 15 mandatory topics presented by the league.
Mid-to-Late July: Training Camp
The rookies typically report to training camp a week earlier than the veterans, but this is obviously 'go time' for every team. If I had to guess, July 23 or 24 sounds right when everyone is together. The biggest question right now is whether or not it's in Metairie or elsewhere. They'll likely have joint practices as an absolute worst-case scenario, and if the pattern holds, they'll have two home preseason games this year.
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