Tag: khai harley

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Dennis Allen headlines potential Saints losses to 2022 hiring cycle

Which Saints coaches and execs could depart in the 2022 hiring cycle? Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has to top the list, ass does assistant GM Jeff Ireland:

Few coaching staffs were hit harder last year than the New Orleans Saints, who lost a number of key position coaches to other teams around the league — including their former tight ends coach Dan Campbell, who took secondary coach Aaron Glenn with him to go rebuild the Detroit Lions. Longtime quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi and defensive assistant Michael Wilhoite both joined Brandon Staley’s first-year Los Angeles Chargers regime.

Now the cycle is beginning again, and the Saints could experience more upheaval. So which of their coaches and executives could be on the move as jobs open up across the NFL? Whether they’re considered for a head coach position or a bigger role as a coordinator or assistant, the Saints have some attractive candidates on their roster. Let’s dig in, starting with the most obvious possible departure:

Pros and cons of Marcus Williams playing on the franchise tag

Pros and cons of Saints’ Marcus Williams playing on the franchise tag

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As the NFL deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign an extension passed on July 15, New Orleans Saints safety Marcus Williams and the team were unable to make a deal work. As such, Williams, one of the top-ranked safeties in the league heading into the season according to Pro Football Focus, will indeed play on a franchise tag this season. He and the Saints can’t talk about a new deal until the 2021 season ends.

So Williams will be count just over $10.6 million against the 2021 salary cap, which far exceeds the $6.2 million he’s earned in his NFL career so far. A decent payday for the safety even if his long term fate has not been decided. So, how does this benefit the Saints, or does it actually hurt them?

Pros

To start, the biggest positive is that Williams is actually playing in New Orleans this season. Since the inception of the franchise tag, many high profile players have sat out of camp, protested, or tried to use leverage to make their team offer a deal rather than sign the tag.

While it would have been nice to sign Williams to an extension, perhaps opening up additional salary cap space as Saints financial wizard Khai Harley is known to do, the salary for Williams is fair. Spotrac has Willaims’ market value north of $13 million a year, so paying him $10.6 million could be seen as a bargain.

Cons

But where the last positive ends is where the first negative consequence begins. The $10.6 million cannot be manipulated like an extension could, especially long term in a restructure. New Orleans has a very precisely plotted financial path, especially this season and next in which the salary cap is set to be lower than in previous seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If too many resources are tied up in Williams, the Saints may be unable to re-sign someone like Marshon Lattimore.

The other downside to not signing Williams to an extension is that the Saints did not lock up one of the top safeties in the game going forward. During a time when the defense, and potentially the entire roster, is going through a re-tool, Williams is one of their important playmakers. Ensuring his presence and talent is around for the foreseeable future would have been a huge boon heading into the season.

Williams is eligible for one more franchise tag next season, but that tag could cost just over $12.7 million. Here is to hoping New Orleans and Williams figure it out.

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Report: Falcons GM Terry Fontenot trying to take Saints cap guru with him

The Athletic reports Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot has been recruiting his former New Orleans Saints coworker Khai Harley.

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So, this isn’t a great development. The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that the New Orleans Saints are competing with Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot for the right to keep one of their best-kept secrets in the building: Khai Harley.

Fontenot, of course, spent the last decade-plus climbing the ladder in New Orleans to become the team’s vice president of pro personnel and assistant general manager. That rise catapulted him into the G.M. chair in Atlanta, where he’s been working to recruit one of his former coworkers.

Harley, who owns the formal title of vice president of football administration, is the man behind the spreadsheets in New Orleans, the salary cap wizard who has navigated the team through all of its creative accounting: restructures, ghost years, and all. He’s been a pioneer of maneuvering the salary cap to keep the books in order for the Saints, allowing them to scoff at the dangers of “salary cap hell” every offseason.

While Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has gotten a lot of credit as the face of the front office, Harley’s behind-the-scenes work has made a lot of their bold decisions possible.

He’s maybe the most important cog in the Saints front office, doing the most to keep the Saints cap-compliant and competitive year in and year out. So it makes sense for the Saints to work hard to retain him, as Duncan added in his report. They could pull that off with a raise and a promotion (as they did to keep talented defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen in the building), but it’s just as possible Harley leaves for greener pastures. Keep an eye on this one.

Update: Duncan later reported that, for now, Harley is expected to remain with the Saints.