The New Orleans Saints season has not gone as they'd hoped for before it began. They were eliminated from postseason contention in Week 16. They just got embarrassed in their final home game against a 4-12 Las Vegas Raiders team.
Not to mention, they made a coaching change earlier in the season. After losing seven games in a row, Dennis Allen was fired in early November. Darren Rizzi has done well as their interim, all things considered, but they'll have a full search and interview process for a new HC this offseason.
What is the latest on their interest in potential candidates to be their next head coach?
Latest on Saints' next head coach
According to Ian Rapoport, there's a belief that Saints GM Mickey Loomis is swaying towards hiring a coach that he knows already. That information also points to the idea that New Orleans won't be moving on from Loomis in the front office.
Check out everything the NFL insider said recently about New Orleans' search below.
The feeling in league circles is that general manager Mickey Loomis will lean toward someone he knows, with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn -- who narrowly lost out to Allen last time around -- a frequent name mentioned. Interim coach Darren Rizzi is beloved in the building and expected to be a candidate, especially with the way a locker room decimated by injuries has continued to fight for him. Mike McCarthy and Bills OC Joe Brady have Saints roots, too. But the team is looking into all the top candidates. -- Ian Rapoport, NFL.com
Accordingly, you have to consider Glenn a frontrunner as of now. Rapoport's sentiment here, along with Adam Schefter's comments from last week, both point in that direction.
Schefter mentioned Glenn and Mike Vrabel as names he has heard connected to the opening early on so far.
Joe Brady is another interesting name.
The current Bills offensive coordinator is the former OC from the Joe Burrow days at LSU. He will get multiple interviews for a HC spot this offseason, and I would not be shocked if one of those is in New Orleans.
As for McCarthy, he's still the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, but that relationship is certainly a bit severed. They haven't seen postseason success under McCarthy, but many offensive players have supported him this season, amid a lot of injuries.
It is unknown if Dallas will move on from him, or he will look for a new opportunity this offseason. Regardless, I think New Orleans should go in a different direction.
Finally, Rizzi. The fiery leader has tons of support in the locker room, but he's certainly made some notable blunders as the interim so far this year.
The team is dealing with an incredible amount of injuries, but the wins have not come consistently under him or Allen this season. Expect him to get a fair opportunity and interview for the Saints job, nonetheless.
