It’s an overreaction to say Darren Rizzi should remain the New Orleans Saints’ head coach after this season just because he beat the Atlanta Falcons. But continued success should mean he gets a real look, and the Saints will have to hire someone for the job. Rizzi turning a lost season around and earning that opportunity wouldn’t be the worst thing.
For one thing, he’s already a popular locker room presence. Special teams coaches like Rizzi are the few coaches who interact with players in every phase of the game. Whether he’s taught quarterbacks to hold a snap, told linemen how deep to set up for a field goal, or instructed safeties on shedding blocks as gunners, he’s worked with everyone, and he commands a lot of respect inside the building and around the league. He interviewed for the job when it opened up last time, too.
For another, the Saints aren’t set up rebuild on the fly. Annual contract restructuring has made it tough to trade off a bunch of veteran players and sign replacements in free agency. They aren’t resting on a stockpile of draft picks, either. That could make it tough to lure a hot up-and-comer in demand like Ben Johnson to town, and veteran coaches who have seen a thing or two like Mike Vrabel may want more resources to work with.
If the Saints are going to be working under tight salary cap constraints in 2025 anyway, the best approach might be to stick with Rizzi. See if he can weather that storm and field a competitive team with the pieces already in the building. If he can, great — he’ll have a clean slate to work with in 2026 after hurdles like the dead money left over from Marshon Lattimore’s trade and Derek Carr’s contract guarantees have been paid out in 2025. If he flounders?
No harm, no foul. More aging players will have bowed out, the salary cap bookkeeping will be in order, and the next coaching cycle will present more options. Maybe someone already being linked to the Saints coaching search like Aaron Glenn or Joe Brady will be ready to take over with more experience, fresh eyes and plenty of tools, cap space, and draft picks to build their own team.
But we’re really putting the cart before the horse here. Rizzi passed his first test by beating the dirty birds. Now he needs to win back-to-back games and knock out the Cleveland Browns next Sunday. That would do a lot to keep the season alive in a still-weak NFC South. At this stage all we can do (and all Rizzi and the Saints can do) is take things one day and one week at a time.
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