Tag: Mike McCarthy

Behind closed doors, the Saints admit they have to rebuild

Behind closed doors, the New Orleans Saints admit they have to rebuild. A messy salary cap spreadsheet and a four-year playoff drought are powerful motivators:

The New Orleans Saints have drawn a lot of ire over the years for their stubborn resistance to rebuilding their team. They’ve continued to push money into future years and max out their salary cap resources to try and compete. Now, depending on where you look (and ultimately depending on where the NFL sets this year’s spending limit), the Saints are in the hole by $54 million to $72 million.

But now it’s gotten to a point where they can’t ignore the inevitable. After struggling to keep their heads above water in a series of 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 seasons after Drew Brees retired, they finished the 2024 season at 5-12. That’s their worst record since the Hurricane Katrina-impacted season back in 2005. It’s time for change.

And while general manager Mickey Loomis has pushed back on that notion publicly, that isn’t what he’s telling candidates behind closed doors. During a guest appearance on the Athletic Football Show, Dianna Russini shared some insight to the Saints’ expectations for their new head coach.

When asked about the team’s ledger and whether they understand they may need to take a year to untangle their salary cap accounting, Russini responded: “They do. And that’s been part of the conversations they’ve been having with these coaches that want this job. Which is, ‘We’re going to practice patience here, knowing that we’ve put you, if you were to get this job, in this position. It’s not your fault.'”

That situation isn’t for everyone. Candidates who are in great spots with elite young quarterbacks (like Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury) have chosen to stay put. Others have gone for greener pastures with more money to invest in their roster (like Aaron Glenn), or opted to wait for better opportunities to open up in next year’s cycle (like Mike McCarthy).

But for a young hotshot offensive coordinator like Kellen Moore, who got thrown out with the bathwater by the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago? Who the Dallas Cowboys moved on from a year before that? And who just saw someone in his same situation, Bobby Slowik, jettisoned by the Houston Texans a year after getting these same head coach interviews? The fit might make sense. Desperation is a strong motivator. It may be driving Moore to stay in New Orleans after the Super Bowl. And it may push the Saints to finally work on getting out of the salary cap mess they’ve made for themselves, too.

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B/R defines the Saints by their bleak offseason outlook, but how bad is it?

B/R’s Brad Gagnon summed up every team in just one sentence. He focused on the obstacles the Saints’ next coach must face:

Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon summed up every team’s future in just one sentence. The summary for the New Orleans Saints was a bleak outlook of what the next head coach is stepping into.

In cap hell yet again and with the roster aging and declining, the Saints desperately need to finally give in and commit to a full rebuild.

When breaking it down, these are the immediate reasons the job has been looked at poorly. They’re also the obstacles the next head coach will have to deal with. Whether it’s Kellen Moore, Mike McCarthy, Anthony Weaver, Darren Rizzi or Mike Kafka, all of them will have to find a solution for the cap and deal with aging players in at least Year 1. Right now, signs point to Moore taking the job after Super Bowl LIX.

It will also be the coach’s decision on how far the team dives into the rebuild. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a close example of a soft rebuild. They continued to win the NFC South while bringing in a lot of young talent and paying off dead money from old contracts.

Tampa Bay struck success with their quarterback acquisition, but the Saints will likely part ways with Derek Carr in the near future, though an immediate release doesn’t seem realistic. His departure could be the official turning point into a rebuild. That would likely coincide with a massive youth moment and exodus of veteran talent.

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Alternate Reality: Cowboys could’ve been led by Dan Quinn, Mike Zimmer as opposed to current path

If the Cowboys played things differently, they could have had their all-star coaching staff. | From @ReidDHanson

Everyone remembers the one that got away.

From the girl next door to the job offer with the bad timing, hindsight can be cruel as much as it can be educational. For the Dallas Cowboys, Sean Peyton is often seen as the head coach that got away. Once a Cowboys offensive coordinator under Bill Parcells, Payton was seen as the next great coach in Cowboys lore. As luck would have it, Parcells stayed on one year too long and Payton jumped ship one year too early, essentially killing the dream.

Looking at the current situation in Dallas, it’s difficult not to think about what could have been once again. Over the past 13 months the Cowboys had a few desirable coaches on their staff and if they would have played things differently, they could have had considerably different setup today.

After losing to Green Bay in the playoffs in the most embarrassing way possible one year ago, many believed McCarthy was a lock to get fired. The team was ill-prepared, unfocused and unmotivated. It was an indictment on a head coach that throughout his time in Dallas couldn’t win a postseason game against a team with a winning record.

If the Cowboys would have fired McCarthy after that Packers loss, Dallas probably could have had Dan Quinn as their head coach in 2024. Not only that, dumping McCarthy would have unchained Brian Schottenheimer as the offensive coordinator. McCarthy never let Schottenheimer call plays during their time together and it was generally viewed as McCarthy’s offense through and through.

Instead, the Cowboys stuck with McCarthy one more season, opening the door to Quinn’s departure and empowering the NFC East rival Commanders to complete one of the NFL’s biggest franchise turnarounds.

There is an alternate reality in 2025 as well. Let’s say the Cowboys stuck with McCarthy and 2024 unfolded just as it did. But instead of elevating Schottenheimer to head coach, the Cowboys elevated Mike Zimmer instead.

Zimmer was making headway on the Dallas defense in his one year as defensive coordinator. He survived a litany of injuries and instilled discipline in a notoriously undisciplined unit. It stands to reason with a healthy roster and a couple new pieces, the Cowboys defense could bounce back to elite ranks in no time.

Much like the Quinn example a year prior, elevating the defensive coordinator to head coach wouldn’t necessarily run Schottenheimer out of town. Schottenheimer wanted to call plays and by most accounts wasn’t a high demand coaching prospect this winter. It stands to reason simply offering him control of the offense would be enough to keep him on board for the foreseeable future.

In this scenario the Cowboys could have elevated fan favorite Al Harris to take over as Zimmer’s defensive coordinator or even brought in the current coordinator Matt Eberflus. It would still be Zimmer’s defense but would add additional coaching talent to franchise.

In both scenarios Schottenheimer is running the offense it’s just the defense that’s in different hands. Theoretically the Cowboys could have had their cake and eaten it too.

Maybe all things worked out for the best.

Quinn got his chance to pull a franchise up from the dirt and the Cowboys dodged a coach whose postseason ended in another defensive meltdown.

Zimmer wasn’t the most daring head coach in Minnesota so maybe he wouldn’t be a great option for the Cowboys. Based on possible gained win percentage, his fourth-down decision making finished in the middle of the pack (one spot worse than the Cowboys from 2014-2021) and he might have put Schottenheimer under his thumb as so many of Schottenheimer’s coaches had done in the past.

It’s impossible to know how things would have turned out but it’s interesting to look back and envision how things could have been.

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Report: Former Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy to take season off to prepare for 2026

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 12th-winningest head coach in NFL history will reportedly spend 2025 focusing on the 2026 hiring cycle. It’s a tactic he’s used before.

Mike McCarthy spent a year away from the NFL sidelines before taking the head coaching job in Dallas in 2020. He’ll apparently take another year off now that he’s moved on from the Cowboys.

The 61-year-old has removed himself from consideration for the open head coaching job in New Orleans and will reportedly focus instead on preparing himself for interviews for a 2026 job. That news came late Tuesday from NFL Network insiders Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport.

McCarthy had been a candidate for the Saints job, but so has Kellen Moore. Moore was the offensive coordinator for McCarthy’s first three seasons in Dallas and parted ways with the Cowboys only when McCarthy insisted on calling his own plays beginning with the 2023 season.

The report of McCarthy’s withdrawal in New Orleans has led to widespread speculation that Moore is the frontrunner for that job and will officially accept an offer once his Super Bowl duties with the Eagles have been completed.

McCarthy did not formally interview with the Saints, but the two sides had reportedly planned to talk later this week.

It was previously believed that McCarthy was a strong contender for the Bears’ top job. Chicago had requested permission from the Cowboys to speak with McCarthy in the days before his contract was officially up, but Cowboys owner Jerry Jones denied that request.

A week later, after McCarthy and the Cowboys announced they were parting ways on Jan. 13, his move to the Windy City seemed like a foregone conclusion. Reports out of Chicago had the team rolling out the red carpet for McCarthy for what turned into an overnight VIP visit with the front office. The Bears chose, however, to hire former Lions OC Ben Johnson as their next head coach.

Having been offensive coordinator in New Orleans for five seasons from 2000 to 2004 and familiar with Saints executive vice president and general manager Mickey Loomis from that stint, McCarthy’s return to the Big Easy seemed like a natural fit.

But it’s believed that Moore- who also interviewed in Dallas- impressed enough in his two rounds of talks with the Saints to become the “leader in the clubhouse.”

That may have prompted McCarthy to take himself out of the running.

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It now appears the 12th-winningest head coach in NFL history will take a year off to get ready for a new opportunity somewhere down the road, a tactic he used after he was fired from Green Bay late in the 2018 season.

Rather than jump immediately into the 2019 coaching cycle after 13 seasons and a Super Bowl win with the Packers, McCarthy famously retreated to a refurbished barn on his Wisconsin property. Alongside an assembled collection of other out-of-work coaches, they spent all of that year studying game film, charting tendencies, exploring analytics, and creating gameplans as if they were the coaching staff of a fictional NFL team.

“The Mike McCarthy Project,” as it became known, helped him prepare for the interview that landed him the role of the Cowboys’ ninth head coach in 2020. In five seasons, McCarthy guided the Cowboys to three consecutive 12-win seasons and three playoff berths.

Now it appears he may be may be heading back to the barn, at least metaphorically speaking, for 2025.

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Mike McCarthy’s decision could impact the Broncos

Mike McCarthy won’t join the Saints. Now all eyes turn to Darren Rizzi, who is a candidate for the Broncos’ special teams job.

Mike McCarthy will not become the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

McCarthy has decided to not take a head coach job in 2025, opting to instead focus on the 2026 hiring cycle, similar to the decision Mike Vrabel made last year.

Unfortunately, McCarthy’s delay could have big implications for the Denver Broncos. McCarthy was perhaps the most high-profile coach available for the Saints, and New Orleans must now focus on other options.

Yesterday, KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis reported that if McCarthy or Kellen Moore are hired by the Saints, ex-interim coach/special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi would be in line to become Denver’s new ST coach.

McCarthy won’t take the job. Now we wait to see if Moore gets it. If Moore also turns it down, Rizzi might become a leading candidate.

Meanwhile, Broncos assistant special teams coach Chris Banjo has also received interest from other clubs, including the New York Jets. If Rizzi ends up staying in New Orleans, perhaps Denver will consider promoting Banjo. Stay tuned.

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Social media reactions to Mike McCarthy withdrawing from Saints HC search

Many fans took to social media following news of Mike McCarthy backing out of the New Orleans Saints coaching search:

Another domino has dropped for the New Orleans Saints and their head coaching search, with former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy backing out of the 2025 coaching cycle to focus on 2026 instead. This could be the result of a number of different things, but ultimately he will no longer be an option as the candidate pool narrows down to four for the Saints.

Many Saints and NFL fans alike took to social media to voice their displeasure or agreeance with this decision, and whether or not it was the Saints or McCarthy who initiated this to occur. With that said, here are some of the recent news updates and social media reactions to the McCarthy news:

And now Mike McCarthy has pulled himself out of the Saints head coach search

And now Mike McCarthy has pulled himself out of the Saints head coach search. NFL Network reports he’s taking the year off and will look for work in 2026:

A major domino fell in the New Orleans Saints head coach search on Tuesday evening, when former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy chose to pull himself out of the sweepstakes. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapaport share that McCarthy will instead sit out the 2025 season, and focus on a return to coaching in 2026.

This is big news for the Saints, who flew cross-country to sit down with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after previously meeting in person with several other candidates. McCarthy was the last name on their current list but he’ll wait to see if he can find a warmer reception in the next cycle.

McCarthy was widely expected to be a front runner when he became available given his history with the Saints; he was the team’s offensive coordinator when Mickey Loomis took over as general manager, having replaced his predecessor Randy Mueller. Mueller returned to the team late last year and was consulting in this year’s search. But by all accounts McCarthy received a more lukewarm reaction from the Saints than expected, which likely played into this decision.

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Report: Underrated coach candidate made a ‘strong impression’ with Saints

Kellen Moore looks like the favorite for the Saints head coaching vacancy, but don’t count out Anthony Weaver. ESPN reports he made a strong impression:

The New Orleans Saints flew out to Philadelphia to meet with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore. The aggressiveness of this move suggests he is the Saints main target, but don’t count out Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports Weaver “has come up often as a candidate that’s made a strong impression.”

Of the names who have interviewed, Moore, Weaver, Mike Kafka and Darren Rizzi, Fowler’s report could suggest Weaver has an advantage over most of the candidates. Weaver has been the recipient of positive endorsements

Mike McCarthy isn’t a part of the group since he has yet to meet with the Saints. NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported a possible disconnect between both sides on certain details. Those details feel like potential non-negotiables for McCarthy.

If McCarthy never enters the picture, let’s say the Saints are left with having to pick between Weaver and Moore. That’s one coach who made a strong enough impression to be a constant talking point. You took a trip to the other coach to interview him instead of waiting for him to come to you.

Saints to interview Super Bowl-winning coach this week, pending Kellen Moore visit

Report: The New Orleans Saints plan to interview former Cowboys and Packers coach Mike McCarthy this week, pending visit with Eagles OC Kellen Moore:

For a few weeks now, the New Orleans Saints interest in former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has been increasingly evident, and it continues to look like he will end up as a finalist for the teams head coaching job. There had been many reports during this time that McCarthy would be interviewing with the team some time in the near future, but up until today nothing had been planned between the two parties.

On Monday, we found that McCarthy and the Saints do have a plan in place for an interview that will take place at the end of the week. There aren’t any details on where this meeting will take place but it’s likely that McCarthy will come down to New Orleans since he isn’t currently employed by another team at the moment.

The Saints are currently meeting with Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in Philly just a day after his team’s blowout win against their division rival Commanders. The Saints’ interest in Moore seems to be very strong at the moment and a potential deal with the team could be in the cards as soon as tonight. We should get word sometime early this week on whether or not the team was able to strike a deal with the young OC.

It doesn’t sound like the Saints are about to reset their salary cap spending

It doesn’t sound like the Saints are about to reset their salary cap spending. They may feel Mike McCarthy can get more out of their roster than Dennis Allen did:

Given the New Orleans Saints’ lack of success in recruiting head coach candidates, a lot of fingers have been pointed at what makes their job opening so undesirable. Maybe Aaron Glenn and Joe Brady didn’t want to come here because of the state of the roster, or the salary cap situation, or having a mediocre quarterback locked in for the foreseeable future — or maybe it’s because Mickey Loomis isn’t seen as a good boss. Maybe it’s a combination of those variables.

Not many of those variables can be changed. But the biggest (or at least the loudest, and most persistent) criticism of how the Saints do business might fall on their salary cap management. The team has a lot of resources tied up in contracts with older players and they already lead the league in dead money left over from expired contracts with guys like Marshon Lattimore, Michael Thomas, and Jameis Winston. And that’s before Ryan Ramczyk’s retirement has been processed with more dead money hits coming for free agents like Chase Young and Juwan Johnson.

So there’s a compelling argument to be made that the Saints should blow it all up. Trade whoever they can. Cut whoever they can. Take their medicine this year and try to compete in 2026 or 2027, whenever the roster has turned over and they can afford to sign new talent.

But that doesn’t sound like the path they’re taking based on this report from NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He characterized their interest in former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy as a way for the Saints to compete right away.

“Mike McCarthy, I’m told, is expected to interview with the Saints probably around the middle of this week,” Pelissero said Sunday morning, pointing to McCarthy’s history as an offensive coordinator with New Orleans from 2000 to 2004. Pelissero added, “He’s also got a lot of success in his past, 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons, potentially a really good fit for a Saints team that is very much built to win right now.”

That sure doesn’t sound like a team preparing to cut a lot of veterans and reset the salary cap accounting books. If the Saints don’t see a viable way out of their cap crunch without restructuring Derek Carr’s contract or moving on from defensive cornerstones like Cameron Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu and Demario Davis, maybe bringing in McCarthy and continuing to kick the can down the road until those guys simply age out is the best path forward. Maybe it isn’t.

Maybe McCarthy’s two 6- and 7-win seasons with the Cowboys are a stronger indicator of what the Saints should expect than the three 12-win years sandwiched in-between. We’ll just have to see how Loomis and Co. get out of this mess they’ve made for themselves.

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