New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis spoke to the media today following the conclusion of their 2024 season. He covered a wide variety of topics over the course of the media appearance, and while he was not willing to discuss head coaching candidates outright, he did discuss the topic of the hiring process and how it has changed since hiring Dennis Allen. Here are some of the key takeaways from this press conference heading into the 2025 offseason:
Injuries used as a scapegoat once again
The discussion of what led to this being a poor season surfaced again, and the key point discussed by Mickey Loomis was injuries. He mentioned them multiple times throughout the interview, and stated, “Obviously, this was a tough season. Not what we expected. What jumps out is the amount of injuries.” as well as, “That isn’t just the coach. We got to look at ourselves. I got to look at the way I am operating … All the way down to the injury issue.” Overall he made it clear that injuries prevented the team from operating the way they wanted to, and he believes it was a key point to why they had a bad 2024 season.
Head coaching search is ongoing and will be expansive
The head coaching search was a point brought up a few times, and while candidates were not mentioned by name, Loomis did state that there will be an expansive process ongoing and that they would prefer to take their time and make the correct decision rather than rush a decision to get their initial preferred candidate. He said that being rushed into a decision is likely where they would go wrong, so they will look to follow the specific process they have in place to find the correct coach for them rather than making a quick choice when the candidate pool is still untouched.
Head coach candidate will be given the reigns to make their own decisions
Loomis mentioned that the team and front office believe that the head coach should be able to make their own coaching decisions, including the hiring of new assistants and coordinators. This was the case under Dennis Allen, and will likely be the case under the new head coach with Klint Kubiak already having multiple interviews elsewhere as well. This is probably the preferred outcome anyway, as the new coach should have the chance to make their own hirings and work with people they feel would most improve the team.
Loomis has not considered retirement
One of the bigger questions asked is if Mickey Loomis has considered retirement at any point, and he made it clear that he has not, and that he still has confidence in all his facilities. He also mentioned that this question would not be asked if not for his age (68). He said he feels good and that his acumen is good, and that if he felt either was beginning to slip, he would be the first person to do the necessary thing and make a change.
Randy Mueller, Dave Ziegler have large role in coaching decision
Whenever asked about the hiring process and any changes the Saints may have made, Loomis repeatedly mentioned Randy Mueller and Dave Ziegler by name as large parts of the process. Ziegler is a personnel advisor for the Saints at the moment, and Mueller is an executive for the team as a senior personnel advisor. Both of these members were not with the team last time around with the head coaching search, both having joined this past offseason, so they will both have prominent roles in the head coaching search and the ultimate decision to be made.
Front office shakeup is not imminent
Loomis made it clear that there are not likely to be many or any front office changes this offseason, and that he feels the scouting team including Jeff Ireland is doing well as-is. This comes as somewhat of a surprise after the poor season the Saints had in 2024, as usually changes will be made to the front office as well as the coaching staff. For this offseason though, it is clear that the Saints will stick to the route of changing coaches and seeing what happens for 2025.
