Could the New Orleans Saints lose both of Mickey Loomis’ top lieutenants? NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Los Angeles Chargers have requested an interview with Jeff Ireland for their open general manager position; the Saints’ assistant general manager and vice president of college personnel has received several inquiries in recent years, but a job offer has yet to materialize. Ireland has ran his own team before as the Miami Dolphins general manager, though that stint ended without much success.
Still, there’s a good chance another team gives him a shot someday. That’s also true of New Orleans’ other assistant GM Khai Harley, their vice president of football operations who manages the team salary cap. Harley received an interview request from the Carolina Panthers as they also seek to hire a new general manager.
Which means there’s a real possibility that the Saints could lose each of their best internal candidates to replace Loomis someday in one offseason. Loomis is the longest-tenured general manager in the NFL and doesn’t appear to be ready to leave his post. If the Saints front office hemorrhages talent this offseason and he steps into a different role or retires in a few years, they could have a hard time replacing him.