Tag: joe brady

Where the Saints should turn after missing out on Joe Brady

With Joe Brady remaining with the Buffalo Bills for the 2025 season, where should the Saints should turn in their head coaching search?

I will start this article out by stating that I personally do not dislike any of the candidates the Saints are looking at, and while I have preferences toward who may be the better or worse candidates, there is not one in particular that doesn’t have a reason to become a head coach. That said, the New Orleans Saints are now down another candidate, as Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady has chosen to stick with his current team rather than pursue the Saints head coaching gig.

This leaves the Saints with six viable head coaching candidates: Anthony Weaver, Mike McCarthy, Kellen Moore, Darren Rizzi, Mike Kafka, and maybe Kliff Kingsbury. Three of these coaches have completed in-person interviews so far (Weaver, Kafka, and Rizzi) with the other three expected to look at doing so within the next week. Their top option Aaron Glenn passed on them too.

Now that Brady is off the table and there are only six candidates remaining, a choice will have to be made sooner rather than later, and while I have been a strong proponent for McCarthy or Kingsbury previously, it seems Weaver may be the best fit for the team.

When you take a look at the Miami Dolphins defense from 2024, it was one of if not the most under appreciated units in the entire sport, producing in both run defense and pass defense. While it was by no means perfect, when it comes down to it, it was high quality and was near other premier defensive units in the league statistically.

When it comes to pass defense, they were among the best ten groups in passing yards allowed (9th), passing touchdowns allowed (6th), passing first down percentage allowed (tied-5th), 20-plus yard passing plays allowed (3rd), and completion percentage allowed (9th).

On the run defense side they are also efficient, ranking among the best ten in rushing yards allowed (9th), rushing touchdowns allowed (tied-7th), rushing first downs allowed (6th), and rushing yards per game (9th).

The one issue they had predominantly was generating sacks, as they had the 6th least with 35. This is something that could potentially be fixed under Saints defensive line coach Brian Young with a full offseason to work with that group as their leader, or with a new defensive coordinator of Weaver’s choosing.

While choosing another defensive coach is not the flashy option, he is on the younger side at 44 years old (younger than McCarthy, Rizzi, and Kingsbury) and has proven to be effective at creating a quality defensive unit. The question would be who is the offensive coordinator to make the play calls, whether it be Klint Kubiak or otherwise it will be an intriguing decision to make. Regardless, turning to Weaver at this juncture may be the Saints best bet.

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Another popular target just backed out of the Saints head coach search

The New Orleans Saints will have to take another of their top coaching candidates off the board, as Buffalo Bills OC Joe Brady pulled himself out of consideration:

The New Orleans Saints received some unfortunate news on Saturday afternoon as top head coach candidate Joe Brady pulled himself out of consideration for the job.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport broke the news on Saturday afternoon that the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator would be sticking with his team for next season.

The Saints had interviewed him once already and wanted to set up a second one, but will not get their wish. Brady had been the top fan-favorite candidate in the search given his history with the team and Louisiana (he got his first big break on Sean Payton’s staff, and called plays on LSU’s record-setting 2019 national championship squad), so the already-maligned search only continues to get worse.

This is another gut punch after another former Saints assistant coach, Aaron Glenn, declined the chance to sit down and speak with general manager Mickey Loomis before accepting the New York Jets job.

Now that he is gone, top candidates still include Mike McCarthy, Anthony Weaver, Mike Kafka and maybe Kliff Kingsbury, but he may want to stay on a Super Bowl contender just like Brady. With New Orleans being the last job opening, they were believed to have their pick of the remaining options. Looks like that still is not the case.

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Bills’ Josh Allen ahead of Chiefs: ‘You always remember the feeling’

Bills’ Josh Allen ahead of Chiefs: ‘You always remember the feeling’

The Bills have returned to the AFC Championship game for the first time since 2020, and are preparing to face an all too familiar foe.

The Chiefs stand in the way of Buffalo’s path to the Super Bowl, as the road to the big game goes through Kansas City in a clash between two teams who were both undefeated at home.

KC is the setting where the Chiefs won the last time these two clubs met in this round, and their rivalry has been a storied one in recent years.

“You always remember the feeling of not pulling through. That really sticks with you,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said of the loss four years ago.

“I remember playing in that game and watching the confetti fall for the opposing team and how that felt. I don’t want to feel that again,” added defensive tackle Ed Oliver.

Even though the loss, that was then and this is now. With the Super Bowl once more within reach, the Bills realize the past is in the past.

“It disappears. It’s just a part of history now. It disappears,” offensive lineman Dion Dawkins said about the past playoff losses to Kansas City.

What’s held them back from victory in these postseason matchups with the Chiefs?

“The find a way factor,” defensive end AJ Epenesa said. “We’ve got to be able to get over that last hump and find a way to win.”

Von Miller, who joined the Bills during the 2022 season as a free agent, spoke to how the team’s Super Bowl-caliber potential brought him to Buffalo.

“That’s what I came here to do — was to be a part of history. These Bills fans, they deserve it,” said the veteran outside linebacker.

For newer members of the Bills roster, the opportunity is also significant.

“When you get this far, you can taste it,” shared receiver Amari Cooper, who was acquired in a trade this season. “This is what you dream of… It feels like I’ve prepared for this moment all my life.”

While the Bills enter the game with some injuries, they also will feature players who missed their regular season win over Kansas City at home in Orchard Park including inside linebacker Matt Milano, offensive lineman Spencer Brown, tight end Dalton Kincaid, receiver Keon Coleman, and defensive end Dawuane Smoot.

That Buffalo won decisively in their prior meeting without these players is a positive takeaway, though beating Andy Reid’s squad in the postseason and advancing beyond the Conference Championship round of the playoffs have both been obstacles the Bills have yet to hurdle in the Sean McDermott era.

With the rivalry between the two clubs being rich with storylines and subplots aplenty, quarterback Josh Allen and the rest of the Bills players will look to turn the page and start a new chapter by advancing with a win to the Super Bowl.

Saints could expand their coaching search after missing on top target

Aaron Glenn chose the Jets, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggested it opens the door for the Saints to add more candidates to their search:

The New Orleans Saints’ preferred head coach, Aaron Glenn, chose his preferred destination, the New York Jets, and the Saints have pivoted to the rest of their list as expected.

Post-snowstorm New Orleans have interviews scheduled new dates for interviews with Mike Kafka, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Weaver. Wednesday night, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Joe Brady and Kellen Moore will join that list. That was another step that was easy to predict.

Things get interesting when Rapoport says there could be more coaches added to the list

Kliff Kingsbury was once on the Saints’ radar. He chose to put off all head coaching interviews until the Washington Commanders are out of the playoffs, prioritizing game prep with his current team over interviewing for another job.

It’ll be interesting to see if he chooses to take interviews during the week between the conference championship and the Super Bowl, if the Commanders make it past the Philadelphia Eagles, since he won’t be preparing for a game at the end of the week.

Kingsbury is the first name that come to mind when Rapoport opens the door for more candidates to enter the mix.

Any new candidates would have to do a virtual interview first, in turn extending the process. It may feel unlikely, but that wasn’t a slip up by Rapoport. He must be hearing the Saints considering an expanded search.

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Saints will be the final team to hire a head coach for 2025

With the Dallas Cowboys hiring Brian Schottenheimer, the New Orleans Saints are the one remaining team of seven who needed a new head coach:

The Dallas Cowboys announced they hired Brian Schottenheimer as their head coach late Friday evening, meaning the New Orleans Saints are now the only team that remains looking for a head coach. They ended up playing the long game, and chose to wait out the other teams to get their choice of the remaining candidates. While this is a decision that could go either way, many of the candidates they did interview still remain which is a somewhat good sign.

The other six teams and their head coaching hires are as follows:

  • New England Patriots – Mike Vrabel
  • Chicago Bears – Ben Johnson
  • New York Jets – Aaron Glenn
  • Jacksonville Jaguars – Liam Coen
  • Las Vegas Raiders – Pete Carroll
  • Dallas Cowboys – Brian Schottenheimer

One positive is Liam Coen moving on from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as this may end up making things a little bit easier in the NFC South if the Saints are going the competitive route again. Even if not, future competition comes into play when it comes to a younger coach like Coen, who is only 39 years old at the moment.

This leaves the Saints with the choice of Joe Brady, Mike McCarthy, Kliff Kingsbury, Anthony Weaver, Mike Kafka, or Darren Rizzi. Ultimately who knows which direction they will go, whether it is sticking with what they know most recently in Rizzi, or going in a different direction altogether.

Thankfully they basically get as much time as they need now to really make the right hire of the group, and while faith in that decision may be waning for fans, the group they have assembled so far has some very quality candidates. We will likely see in the coming days who will take over the helm of the Saints for (hopefully) the foreseeable future.

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New Orleans may be running unopposed for remaining HC candidates

As the coaching dominos continue to fall, the New Orleans Saints may have no competition for their top remaining candidates:

The New Orleans Saints lost their top head coach candidate, Aaron Glenn, to the New York Jets, but they aren’t at risk of losing any others on their list. They’ll have their pick of Joe Brady, Mike McCarthy, Mike Kafka, Anthony Weaver and Darren Rizzi.

The dominos were expected to fall quickly after Glenn and Ben Johnson were free to sign, and that’s exactly what happened.

Johnson went to the Chicago Bears, and the offensive coaches started coming off the board. The Las Vegas Raiders are rolling with Pete Carroll, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ wild coaching search is ending with Liam Coen.

The Dallas Cowboys are the only other vacancy, and all signs point to them promoting offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to head coach.

This would leave the Saints as the only remaining team without a head coach. Even with the Cowboys still open, none of the Saints candidates have met with the Cowboys. Even if Dallas copied everyone on the list, New Orleans would still have McCarthy to themselves, at the least.

New Orleans wasn’t going to rush their interviews; they couldn’t if they wanted to, due to a rare winter snowstorm slowing travel in the Southeast. Now, they can be as patient as they want.

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Saints coaching candidate is a ‘name to watch’ for the Jaguars

After Liam Coen declined the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints may have competition for Joe Brady, if they want him.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had their eyes set on Liam Coen as their next head coach. The New Orleans Saints have shown no interest in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator, but they are interested in Joe Brady.

With Aaron Glenn joining the New York Jets, that leaves the Saints, Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders as the remaining openings. Ben Johnson and Liam Coen are off the board, Brady could be seen as the next best offensive option.

The Jaguars, specifically, are searching for an offensive minded coach to pair with Trevor Lawrence, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Coen didn’t see that as appealing enough. With their general manager out of the way, Brady could feel differently.

Fowler calls Brady “a name to watch,” but not the new candidate. That a similar position he has in New Orleans. Both teams will have to wait until next week to interview Brady during Pro Bowl week.

It originally seemed as if the Saints would have no competition for Brady, if they want him, but Cohen declining Jacksonville could change that. As both the Jaguars and Saints are forced to pivot away from their top guy, they may both turn to Brady as their next top target.

Jaguars’ coaching search directly impacts the Saints

Liam Coen and the Jaguars are closing in on a deal and the Saints would benefit from an agreement

The Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching search has been a rollercoaster ride over the last few days and the latest turn could benefit the New Orleans Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen was connected to the Jaguars as their top target alongside Robert Saleh. When Coen stepped away from the Jaguars’ coaching race on his own volition, it was reported the Jaguars may consider Joe Brady.

It didn’t take long before Jacksonville and Coen found their way back to each other. All it took was the Jaguars firing Trent Baalke. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports talks are going as well as before. The Jaguars are closing in on a deal with Coen.

This would help New Orleans by once again isolating Brady for the Saints. Coen going to the Jaguars leaves the Saints, Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders as the only remaining openings. Brady hasn’t interviewed with either of the other teams. New Orleans or return to Buffalo are Brady’s two options.

4 head coach candidates for Raiders and 4 teams competing for them

The top candidates still out there in whom the Raiders have shown interest and the NFL teams which still have head coach vacancies.

We’re approaching the third week that the Raiders have been without a head coach. They have had several interviews, but as of now have yet to find their guy.

They’ve watched as three different coaches in whom they have expressed interest have taken head coach positions elsewhere. So, on down the list they go.

There are currently four teams still looking for a head coach — Raiders, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Dallas Cowboys (though reports say they are leaning toward current OC Brian Schottenheimer to take the job).

These teams will be fighting over the top candidates this cycle.

Here are the top four the Raiders are looking at.

Former Seahawks HC Pete Carroll

The 73-year-old former longtime head coach is looking to get back to it. He had a successful 14-year run with the Seahawks that included a Super Bowl win and two NFC Championships. He also had head coaching stops with the Patriots, Jets, and USC Trojans. He had an interview with the Raiders last week.

Ravens OC Todd Monken

One of the most respected coordinators in the NFL. He has spent six years as an OC in the NFL, including three with the Buccaneers (2016-18) and the past two with the Ravens. In between, he was the OC at Georgia when they won two National Championships and where he coached Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. The Raiders have requested an interview with him, but none has yet been reported.

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo

Spagnuolo was a head coach for three seasons with the Rams (2009-11). He went 10-38 in those seasons and hasn’t gotten a second shot since. But his six seasons as DC in KC has him once again being talked about as head coach material. The Raiders had a virtual interview with him and should they not jump the gun and hire a head coach before the Chiefs exit the playoffs, you’d figure an in-person interview with Spagnuolo would follow.

Former Jets HC Robert Saleh

Saleh went 20-36 over four seasons with the Jets and was fired five games into last season despite a decent 2-3 record. The fact that the previously highly respected DC is getting many interviews now is a testament to the respect he still has in league circles.

Other available candidates whose names who have frequently come up for head coaching jobs this cycle include: Bills OC Joe Brady, Eagles OC Kellen Moore, and Broncos DC Vance Joseph.

Report: Saints planning second interviews with coaches still in the playoffs

NFL Network reports the New Orleans Saints are planning second interviews with coaches still in the playoffs like Joe Brady and Kellen Moore:

With the news of highly coveted defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn accepting the New York Jets head coaching job, the New Orleans Saints will continue the search for their lead guy.

It was reported earlier in the week that coaches Mike McCarthy, Anthony Weaver, and Mike Kafka would be meeting with the team sometime this week after the recent snowstorm led to delay. Along with these candidates though, the team is also expected to meet for a second time with offensive coordinators Joe Brady and Kellen Moore.

A meeting with these two, will almost certainly come after this weekend’s games regardless of what happens with their respective teams. It does help that the Super Bowl is in New Orleans this year, which would make it a quick trip if either were to make it to the big game. If not, obviously the team will be able to fly either guy after a loss.

There is also the potential for more candidates to enter into the mix, possibly Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury whom the team requested to interview a couple weeks ago. We’ll likely learn more about where these candidates stand in the next week or so when the weather permits travel and when playoff coaches become available.

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