Tag: Jeff Ireland

Saints have a heavy presence scouting the HBCU Legacy Bowl and Combine

The New Orleans Saints have a heavy presence scouting the HBCU Legacy Bowl and Combine this week at their own indoor practice facility:

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the New Orleans Saints are well-represented at the HBCU Legacy Bowl and Combine this week — the college all-star game’s events and practices are being held at their indoor practice facility in Metairie.

Still, it’s good to see a heavy Saints presence in attendance: college and pro personnel executives Jeff Ireland and Michael Parenton were seen at practice this week, as well as football administration vice president Khai Harley. All three of them are involved in crafting the team’s offseason strategy and draft board, and their input is valuable.

This year’s HBCU Legacy Bowl will be held at Tulane’s Yulman Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 25. Saints quarterback Jameis Winston has been selected as one of the game’s honorary captains, as was Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead, who won accolades in New Orleans after playing collegiately for the HBCU Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The game will be broadcast nationally on NFL Network. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[stnvideo key=”lHZbDtrm0t-2561235-7618″ type=”float”]

The 10 most important Saints players, coaches, and front office execs of 2023

If the Saints want to improve in 2023, these names need to have major impacts. The 10 most important Saints of 2023, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

Every offseason comes with changes and commitments across the NFL. The New Orleans Saints have committed to their coaching staff for the time being and while that likely means changes are on the way at key positions across the roster, the Saints will see some familiar faces return in 2023. Those returning players, coaches and front office staff members will be pivotal to the team’s success in 2023.

The Saints are hoping to improve on their recent and disappointing 7-10 finish. But finishing with a better record won’t be enough. This organization wants to be back in the playoffs and winning postseason matchups. In order to get that done, big names are going to have to make big impacts. Here are the 10 most important Saints of 2023:

Mickey Loomis says Saints won’t allow lateral moves to Sean Payton’s next staff

Mickey Loomis says the Saints won’t allow lateral moves to Sean Payton’s next staff, though they won’t block promotions for their assistants:

One worry of Sean Payton taking over a new team is how many important pieces of the New Orleans Saints’ operation he might take with him. Whether that’s assistant coaches or personnel executives in the front office, there are plenty of people in the organization who Payton would probably like to take with him.

But don’t expect the Saints to make that easy for him. General manager Mickey Loomis addressed the topic during his end-of-season press conference on Friday in response to a question from NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, saying that lateral moves are off the table.

“Well our guys are under contract, so the only guys who could actually move without our permission are guys who are being promoted into coordinator positions. It’s not really a real ‘need’ (to address that). I’m sure if there was somebody they really wanted he would call and ask, and we would probably say no,” Loomis grinned.

That was the case a few years ago when longtime front office executive Terry Fontenot left for the Atlanta Falcons GM opening, and he tried to bring football administration vice president Khai Harley with him. The Saints wouldn’t allow that, and Harley has continued to play a big part in their day-to-day operations while crafting creative salary cap strategies.

So they wouldn’t, for example, let Harley or college scouting director and assistant GM Jeff Ireland leave to join Payton in that same capacity. He would have to be promoted to general manager for Payton’s new squad in order to get out of his contract with New Orleans. That’s significant given two of the three teams interviewing Payton soon already have their general managers working in the building (the Denver Broncos’ George Paton and the Houston Texans’ Nick Caserio). The only place he could offer a front office executive a promotion is the Arizona Cardinals.

Things are a little trickier for assistant coaches. If they have an opportunity to advance their career in a bigger role on Payton’s staff, Loomis says the Saints won’t stand in their way. He conceded, “I think that is, those guys would have the right to move to a coordinator position, if it’s a play caller position.”

So if an assistant on the rise in New Orleans like passing game coordinator Ronald Curry was offered the offensive coordinator job with Payton’s new team, he wouldn’t face much resistance in taking Payton up on that offer. Of course the Saints could circumvent this by naming Curry their own play caller on offense, but at this point they haven’t even tweaked their own coaching staff. Loomis added that those evaluations and considerations will begin next week. That’s the same time Payton will begin interviewing with other teams, so this new information from Loomis might soon become very pertinent.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw4jm5c2wscg4g player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=120794]

Report: Sean Payton has ‘been doing homework’ on Cardinals job, likes Kyler Murray

Sean Payton has done his homework on the Cardinals. NFL Network reports that he likes Kyler Murray and the opportunity to hire his own GM:

Does anyone really know where Sean Payton will be coaching next year? The Washington Post reports that the Denver Broncos appear to be out in front, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting that the Arizona Cardinals might be his favored destination. If there’s anything to take away from this, it might be that Payton likes all of his options, and he’s making sure everyone knows that.

It’s good for him and the New Orleans Saints to have more serious contenders in the mix. That gives Payton more leverage to get a top-of-market contract from his new team, and a side effect of that might push those teams into ponying up more draft picks in a trade to get him. Payton has the final say on where he’ll be traded, so it’ll be tough to engineer a bidding war, but we can’t fault him for trying.

So what appeals to him about Arizona? Pelissero adds that Payton is a fan of Cardinals franchise quarterback Kyler Murray, and that the potential to essentially build his own front office is intriguing. Without a general manager in place, Payton could bring a personnel executive from New Orleans with him like Khai Harley or Jeff Ireland. Talk about a friendly working environment.

But, again, we’ve got conflicting reports. Maybe the Broncos like Payton more than he likes them. Maybe he does value those things about the Cardinals. Maybe no one should be reading into all of this so soon. He hasn’t formally met with any teams for a sit-down interview yet, and those meetings are going to be crucial in determining how this plays out. For now, grab some popcorn (or a slice of king cake and refill your coffee) and enjoy the show.

[mm-video type=video id=01gpnw4hvn7jwz85da2n playlist_id=01eqbyhwtgq69krjzq player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gpnw4hvn7jwz85da2n/01gpnw4hvn7jwz85da2n-17255a070c878936d0f70a4eeffee3e7.jpg]

[listicle id=120794]

Kliff Kingsbury fired by Cardinals, opening another opportunity for Sean Payton

Kliff Kingsbury has been fired by the Cardinals, opening up another opportunity for Sean Payton. His market is going to heat up:

This is big. The Arizona Cardinals are firing head coach Kliff Kingsbury, which opens up another opportunity for former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton. Arizona has a relatively-healthy salary cap situation and four picks in the 2023 draft’s top three rounds, so they would be able to make moves even after acquiring Payton’s contract in a trade with New Orleans.

Crucially, Arizona owns the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. That’s a more-valuable bargaining chip than any other team could offer the Saints. But you have to wonder if tightfisted owner Michael Bidwell would consider putting it on the table in addition to a massive contract extension with Payton.

Arizona’s season was sunk by a season-ending knee injury to franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. If Payton is on their radar, the prospect of working with Murray should be enticing. Additionally, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Bidwell will hire a new general manager, too, opting to move on from longtime G.M. Steve Keim after he took a health-related leave of absence. If Payton wants to bring an executive from New Orleans with him like college scouting director Jeff Ireland or football administration director Khai Harley, he’ll likely have that option.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=120580]

Saints salary cap whiz Khai Harley to participate in NFL Front Office Accelerator event

Saints salary cap whiz Khai Harley to participate in NFL Front Office Accelerator program, putting him on the radar for other teams ahead of upcoming hiring cycle:

Few teams made as great a use of their resources as the New Orleans Saints have in recent years, and much of that credit goes to Khai Harley. His official position within the organization is listed as the vice president of football administration, but Harley’s day-to-day responsibilities have centered on managing the salary cap so they can field a competitive roster. He’s been a key part of their behind-the-scenes work, staying out of the limelight to such an extent that the combined photo galleries of the USA Today Network, Getty Images, and the Associated Press don’t have a clear shot of him.

Many teams use the cap as an excuse to field subpar teams and save dollars for cheap ownership groups, but Harley has spearheaded New Orleans’ efforts to work around the cap and get the most bang for their buck. Few people around the league know the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement better. It’s largely because of him that the Saints were able to be active in free agency and keep a talented core together for so many years, winning the second-most games (62) over the last six seasons.

Obviously that’s more laudable when the team is winning games, which they haven’t done much of this season, but the strategy works when the team has competent coaching and quarterback play. And it’s put Harley on the national radar. He’ll be participating in an upcoming Front Office Accelerator in Dallas on Dec. 13 and 14 alongside diverse general manager candidates from 28 different teams and the league office.

This program highlights people of color and women from many backgrounds who are on the rise in executive roles, giving them greater exposure ahead of the next NFL hiring cycle. They’ll attend professional development seminars and network with decision-makers from around the league. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement, “Club owners and executives are focused on building on the successful momentum of our Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program by continuing to engage with and develop this group of talented men and women.”

Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II, chairman of the NFL Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, added “The goal of our Accelerator Program is to foster relationships between owners and potential candidates for front office positions. … Both the clubs and the Accelerator participants understand the importance of the exposure, professional development and networking opportunities of the Accelerator.”

The Saints have lost one talented front office executive recently with the Atlanta Falcons hiring Terry Fontenot as their general manager, and Harley is another candidate who could be picked up as a GM elsewhere. As a minority candidate, his departure would bring the Saints a pair of third-round compensatory draft picks, but that’s a pittance for the value he’s added to the organization. Still, he owes it to himself and his family to pursue better opportunities, and joining programs like this one will raise his standing among his peers.

And the team has taken steps to prepare for Harley’s eventual move. There’s just one other person listed within the football administration department on their front office roster: Tosan Eyetsemitan, who shares Harley’s background in financial analysis with experience in NFL pro personnel departments. New Orleans has had a good thing going with Harley, Jeff Ireland, and Mickey Loomis working together in the front office with pro personnel director Michael Parenton, but other teams are going to continue poaching talent from them. It doesn’t feel like we’ll have to wait very long for their post-Harley plans to be tested in earnest.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=119393]

Saints assistant GM Jeff Ireland scouting Sam Howell at UNC pro day

New Orleans Saints assistant general manager/college scouting director Jeff Ireland keeping an eye on Sam Howell at UNC’s pro day:

That’s interesting: the New Orleans Saints sent one of their top decision-makers to the UNC Tar Heels pro day on Monday, per Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, who listed Jeff Ireland among the multiple NFL executives in attendance to watch North Carolina quarterback prospect Sam Howell work out and execute his throwing session.

Ireland wears several different hats for the Saints — his official job title on the team’s website identifies him as their vice president/assistant general manger and director of college personnel. But his priority this time of the year is putting the finishing touches on several hundred scouting reports ahead of the 2022 NFL draft, and Howell could be an intriguing prospect.

Howell has been cast as a plucky game manager with upside, similar to other young quarterbacks around the league like Mac Jones and Baker Mayfield. Initially seen as someone who could be the first passer drafted in 2022, his performance nosedived in 2021 after the Tar Heels offense sent multiple starters to the NFL without many backups ready to replace them. Now he’s likely to be picked near the turnaround at the start of round two; territory shared by Lamar Jackson (No. 32 pick in 2018), Andy Dalton (No. 35 pick in 2011), and Derek Carr (No. 36 pick in 2014). Obviously there’s a wide range of possible outcomes there.

Drafting a quarterback is still very possible for the Saints. They only signed Jameis Winston to a two-year contract, meaning they’re on the lookout for a long-term answer under center. Ireland and other Saints shot-callers like head coach Dennis Allen have run the pro day circuit in recent weeks, scouting other top prospects like Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, and Desmond Ridder. If a quarterback they like is available when they’re on the clock (whether that’s at No. 18, 49, or some other slot in the draft order) we shouldn’t be shocked if they pick that player.

[listicle id=110876]

Saints send Dennis Allen, Jeff Ireland, and WR coach Kodi Burns to Ohio State pro day

The Saints sent a ‘large contingent’ of Dennis Allen, Jeff Ireland, and WR coach Kodi Burns to scout Ohio State draft prospects Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson:

Let’s get the 2022 NFL draft intrigue started. The New Orleans Saints sent a “large contingent” of personnel to take in the Ohio State Buckeyes pro day on Wednesday, per Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, with NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill clarifying that both Saints head coach Dennis Allen and assistant general manager/college scouting director Jeff Ireland were in attendance. Pauline adds that the Saints were one of several teams to have their wide receivers coach (the recently-hired Kodi Burns) in attendance, along with the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, and New England Patriots.

And Pauline also said that these four teams have been focused on two specific prospects in the upcoming draft, meeting privately with first-round wide receivers Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson in recent days. Olave and Wilson were catching passes thrown by top 2023 quarterback prospect C.J. Stroud and former Buckeyes star Cardale Jones, and while plenty of their talented teammates were also working out, they were the main attraction.

Either of them would be a welcome addition in New Orleans, and it’s telling that the Saints sent two of their top decision-makers and the position coach to evaluate their options at this workout. Wilson had a better 2021 season, benefiting from the attention Olave demanded defenses give him after leading the Buckeyes in receiving yards the previous two years, but he’s known more for making plays after the catch whereas Olave more easily finds separation in his routes. The Saints would be lucky to have either of them.

We still have a long road to travel until the draft kicks off, and there’s no guarantee that the Saints end up with either player. They’re wildly talented and stand on top of a very strong draft class. Of those four teams Pauline listed as giving the most attention to Olave and Wilson, the Jets pick twice before the Saints (at Nos. 4 and 10 overall) while the Patriots (No. 21) and Bills (No. 25) are not far behind New Orleans at No. 18. But the Saints have traded up for game-changing receivers before, like Brandin Cooks, and if they’re sold on one of these two Buckeyes they could make a bold move up the board again.

[listicle id=110638]

Bears pass on Saints college scouting director Jeff Ireland in G.M. search

The Bears are hiring Ryan Poles as their next general manager, passing on Saints college scouting director Jeff Ireland:

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”9wdUKd3I1M-1753890-7498″]

There’s a new Chicago Bears general manager, and it isn’t Jeff Ireland. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported that the Bears are finalizing a contract with Kansas City Chiefs assistant director of player personnel Ryan Poles on Tuesday; Ireland, the New Orleans Saints director of college scouting and assistant general manager, had also interviewed for the job.

So, for now, Ireland will be staying in New Orleans. He’s been vital in improving their approach to the annual NFL draft, helping the team find star talent in the early rounds while cutting down on draft busts in the later cycles. Having Ireland around to guide that process should help keep the roster loaded and competitive.

That’s doubly important with Sean Payton’s future so uncertain. Payton is reportedly mulling retirement from coaching after a series of challenging seasons, so maintaining continuity in other parts of the organization after his departure would be critical. Assuming he does end up stepping away, that is.

It’s also worth noting that Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is interviewing for the Bears head coaching job on Tuesday — so if he and Ireland were seen as a package deal, that’s now off the table. We’ll keep a close eye on that front as the situation develops.

[listicle id=62774]

Report: Bears to interview Saints DC Dennis Allen for head coaching vacancy

The Bears aren’t done interviewing head coaching candidates. They’re set to talk to Saints DC Dennis Allen.

The Chicago Bears are starting to schedule second interviews for their head coaching vacancy, but don’t appear to be done bringing other candidates in yet for their first round of interviews.

According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Bears will be interviewing New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen sometime next week.

Allen has been the Saints defensive coordinator since 2015, slowly turning them from one of the worst defenses in the league, to one of the best over the course of seven seasons. He also spent time with the Saints in the mid-to-late 2000s as a positional coach on the defense, helping them win Super Bowl XLIV before getting his first crack as a defensive coordinator with the Denver Broncos in 2011.

After one season with the Broncos, Allen was hired as the Oakland Raiders head coach in 2012. He compiled a dismal 8-28 record in two and a half seasons, finishing 4-12 in both 2012 and 2013. After an 0-4 start in 2014, Allen was fired.

Allen’s candidacy for the Bears job is interesting, considering they have already interviewed current Saints college scouting director Jeff Ireland and Miami Dolphins senior personnel director Reggie McKenzie for the general manager job. Ireland currently works with Allen and McKenzie hired him in his first major move when he was the Raiders general manager in 2012.

Follow The Bears Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=495065]