Saints Head Coach Candidate Visits NFC Rival

The search for the next New Orleans Saints head coach continues. The Saints are searching for their new permanent head coach, after firing Dennis Allen mid-way through the 2024 season. Allen was relieved of his duties shortly after a humiliating week-nine loss to their NFC South rivals, the Carolina Panthers.

Among the top candidates for the job is former Green Bay and Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy. The one-time Super Bowl winner is attracting interest from elsewhere too though, and another NFC team has already brought McCarthy in for a sit-down.

Mike McCarthy Visits Saints’ NFC Rival

The Saints’ Search Continues

New Orleans has been busy in their search for a new head coach. The team has scheduled or conducted initial interviews with Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, and their own interim HC Darren Rizzi. The Saints have also requested interviews with sought-after offensive coordinators Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Brady, and Kellen Moore.

One man who won’t be taking over in New Orleans is former Patriots All-Pro Mike Vrabel, who took the head coaching job with his old team. New Orleans had contacted Vrabel regarding their own head coaching position. While they have other options, Vrabel’s hiring in New England is a reminder of how quickly teams can miss out in the NFL.

McCarthy Visits With The Bears

Having missed out on Vrabel, nerves may soon start to creep in for Mickey Loomis and company if the team misses out on another top candidate. It’s been widely reported that Aaron Glenn would prefer the Jets job over becoming the new Saints head coach, having represented New York in his playing days. While it is not confirmed, it would make sense. Glenn is a defensive mind and the Jets have some of the most exciting young defensive players in the NFL.

So the news that McCarthy has visited the Chicago Bears, within hours of him being allowed to do so, should cause concern for the Saints.

New Orleans will of course get their opportunity own to speak with the former Dallas head coach, but it’s not insignificant that they weren’t first in line. While every team with a head coaching vacancy is coming off a disappointing season, the Bears are a storied franchise in a top division, with a generational prospect at quarterback.

New Orleans have enjoyed more success than Chicago in recent years, but are a team in crisis. The team has a mountain to climb if they are to comply with salary cap restrictions in 2025. That will likely mean listening to all offers for their top earners and restructuring yet more already precarious veteran contracts. While all coaches will be confident in their abilities, the New Orleans head coach position screams “fall guy.”

Comfortable In Chaos

The mess that the Saints find themselves in though, might make McCarthy the best man for the job.

In his final season in Dallas, McCarthy managed to pull the Cowboys back from a cliff edge with some respectable performances late in the year. After Dak Prescott’s season was prematurely ended by a week-nine injury in Atlanta, the team was 3-5 and without their star quarterback. The Cowboys began to slide, suffering back-to-back blowout losses in weeks 10 and 11, before turning things around in week 12.

The team’s week 12 divisional victory over the Commanders seemed to come out of nowhere and sparked a 4-3 finish to the season. The 2024 season was a failure, there’re no arguments to be made there. But McCarthy’s ability to turn things around with a backup quarterback, an injured CeeDee Lamb, and a previously non-existent run game, shows his undeniable talent as a head coach.

The Saints head coach role comes with baggage, but McCarthy may be the perfect man to handle it.