New Orleans Saints News & Rumors

Latest On Broncos, Sean Payton Hiring

February 6th, 2023 at 7:00pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos were connected to a number of head coaching candidates in the days leading up to their trade with the Saints, with some reports indicating that the organization was zeroing in on 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who ended up opting for the Texans job. However, owner Greg Penner made it clear today that the team had their sights on Sean Payton days before the deal was consummated.

“We locked in five to six days before got trade done, our focus was entirely on him and closing that deal,” Penner said during Payton’s introductory press conference today (via Troy Renck of Denver7 on Twitter).

On the day of the trade, it was reported that the Broncos had made a last-ditch offer to recruit Ryans to Denver. When he declined their overtures, the team pivoted to Payton, surrendering a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to acquire the head coach from New Orleans. The Broncos subsequently signed their new head coach to a five-year deal.

Payton, 59, was believed to be intrigued by both the new Broncos ownership contingent and the prospect of coaching Wilson. He acknowledged as much today, and he admitted that he was ready to return to television for another year if a suitable opportunity didn’t present itself (per Kyle Newman of the Denver Post on Twitter).

More notes out of Denver:

Payton said he spoke with Russell Wilson before joining the Broncos, and he added that running back Latavius Murray helped recruit him to Denver (via Newman on Twitter). The veteran had a pair of productive seasons playing under Payton when the two were with the Saints, with Murray averaging 852 yards from scrimmage during his two years in New Orleans. Thanks to a number of RB injuries, Murray ended up starting seven of his 12 appearances for the Broncos last season, finishing with 827 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.
The head coach’s five-year contract was suggested to be in the range of $17MM to $21MM per season, but Peter King of Football Morning in America narrows down the number to “at least” $18MM. It sounds like Payton may have had to settle for that amount, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that the coach was seeking a contract that would pay him around $23MM annually. However, “Denver wasn’t quite comfortable paying that” amount.
As Dan Graziano points out in that same ESPN article, many assumed that Payton would want full control over player personnel like he had in New Orleans. This leads to natural questions about general manager George Paton‘s job security, and Fowler notes that there’s growing buzz that Payton wants to reunite with Saints vice president/assistant general manager Jeff Ireland. However, during his press conference today, Payton expressed optimism that he’ll mesh with his GM. “I feel like I’ve got good instincts, and I feel like there’s a demeanor with him that reminds me of Mickey (Loomis) in a good way,” he said (via Mike Klis of 9News on Twitter). “Very steady. I’ve always respected the teams that he’s been a part of…There’s this myth I’m this tyrant that has to come in and control everything. I’m like, ‘Where are you guys getting all this stuff from?’ I might be a tyrant once in a while but not a lot. Anyway, I really enjoy his company and it’s worked well so far.”
King notes that Wilson was a proponent of adding Payton, and the quarterback is looking forward to being coached hard following a disappointing first season in Denver. King points out the height similarities between Wilson and Drew Brees, who had plenty of success under Payton when the two were in New Orleans. In fact, Wilson recently reached out to Brees “to get a preview of coming attractions.”
In his FMIA article, King notes that Payton won’t be in a rush to find a coordinator and will look for a coach that’s a proper match. While there’s no clarity on additions, we’re getting word on who could be out in Denver. It sounds like tight ends coach Jake Moreland and assistant offensive line coach Ben Steele will not be back next season, per Klis (on Twitter).

Saints Expected To Hire Joe Woods As DC

February 6th, 2023 at 8:33am CST by Adam La Rose

The Saints’ search for their new defensive coordinator is reportedly set to come to an end. New Orleans is expected to hire Joe Woods to lead the unit, replacing the departed co-DCs in place in 2022 (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler).

The Saints had both Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard in place last season, but neither will be returning in 2023. Nielsen has been hired by the Falcons in an intra-divisional move, while Richard has yet to land his next NFL opportunity. That vacancy has very quickly been filled by the Saints.

Woods interviewed with New Orleans last week, and was the only known candidate for the position in the wake of Nielsen’s and Richard’s departures. It comes as little surprise that he was the team’s ultimate choice, and the Saints can now move forward in the offseason with an experienced staffer at the helm. Woods most recently served as Cleveland’s DC.

That three-year tenure came to an end after the 2022 season, as the Browns fired the 52-year-old. Cleveland had a strong showing in terms of total defense in 2021, but otherwise put up middling numbers with Woods at the helm. He was increasingly thought to be on the hot seat as this past season progressed, though his unit did show signs of improvement down the stretch.

Eyeing a turnaround in front seven play in particular, Cleveland has turned to Jim Schwartz to guide their defense. That move left Woods free to explore other vacancies, including the one in New Orleans which will allow him to reunite with head coach Dennis Allen. The pair briefly worked together with the Raiders in 2014, the time which immediately proceeded Woods’ four-year stay in Denver.

That tenure saw him play a notable role in the Broncos’ suffocating defense during their Super Bowl season, coaching the team’s defensive backs. His time after being promoted to Denver’s DC did not go according to plan, but this New Orleans position will allow him to return to his coaching roots in terms of positional expertise. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football tweets that Allen will call plays on defense, allowing Woods to primarily focus on the Saints’ defensive backs.

As a result, assistant Cory Robinson – whose contract with New Orleans has expired – is likely headed elsewhere, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). Woods will provide the team with an experienced voice on the back end, as he looks to help the Saints build off of their success in a number of categories from 2022 (including ranking top-10 in both total and scoring defense) while taking a step forward in others (including interceptions, in which the team finished 30th with only seven).

Saints Emerging As Potential Derek Carr Suitor?

February 4th, 2023 at 9:10am CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders have yet to grant Derek Carr permission to speak to other teams about a trade, but one potential suitor may be emerging. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes that a Carr-Saints pairing “was buzzing a bit” this week during the Senior Bowl.

There’s a handful of reasons why the Saints could make sense. For starters, it seems clear that the Saints are seeking some more reliability at the quarterback position heading into next season. The organization has turned to five different starting QBs over the past two years, with 35-year-old Andy Dalton garnering 14 starts for the Saints this past year. Jameis Winston is the only experienced QB under contract heading into the offseason, but the Saints could easily cut him without leaving behind a debilitating dead cap number. The Saints are also rostering QB Jake Luton via a reserve/futures contract.

Further, the Saints now have some extra draft assets thanks to the Sean Payton trade with Denver. New Orleans got an extra first- and second-round pick in the trade, and while it’s unknown what the Raiders are seeking in a Carr trade, the extra selections could make it easier to part with their desired compensation. For what it’s worth, the Raiders slightly pushed back at Carr’s notion that the organization hasn’t allowed him to speak to potential suitors. Rather, the Raiders claim they have granted Carr permission to speak to other teams…but only teams that have shown a willingness to pony up the picks that the Raiders are seeking.

Finally, Saints head coach Dennis Allen has some experience working alongside Carr; Allen was the Raiders’ head coach during the QB’s rookie season in Oakland. Since then, Allen has worked in New Orleans, including a seven-year stint as their defensive coordinator.

The Raiders would owe Carr $40.4MM on Feb. 15, and with a dead-money charge of just $5.6MM due with a release, they can save $29MM-plus by moving on over the next week. As a result, teams are expecting the organization to ultimately release the veteran quarterback. Carr confirmed this week that he won’t restructure his contract to facilitate a trade, and it’s worth noting that his deal also contains a no-trade clause.

Broncos Hire Sean Payton As Head Coach

February 3rd, 2023 at 4:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 3: The Broncos and Payton have sorted through the details and have agreed on his contract. Payton signed a five-year deal Friday, Schefter tweets. The reported salary is believed to be between $17-$21MM on average.

JANUARY 31: Although the Broncos’ head coaching search had experienced some turbulence, the franchise will come away with its initial frontrunner. The Broncos and Saints are finalizing terms on a trade for Sean Payton‘s rights, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Payton is expected to become the Broncos’ next head coach. This will be the former Saints leader’s second opportunity as an NFL HC. While Payton had been connected to staying at FOX for another year and waiting for the 2024 hiring period, the Broncos have changed his mind.

This blockbuster transaction will lead to the Saints receiving compensation for their 16-year head coach, who stepped down after the 2021 season. The teams have finalized the compensation, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). The Broncos gave the Saints a choice of two trade packages, Schefter adds. The Saints could have received the Broncos’ 2024 first-round pick and a 2023 fourth or a package that sends Denver’s 2023 first-rounder and 2024 second to New Orleans. The latter deal, which the Saints preferred, will also see Denver acquire New Orleans’ 2024 third-round pick (Twitter link).

As far as compensation goes, this is a significant haul. The Broncos join the Jets, Patriots and Buccaneers in agreeing to send first-round picks for coaches over the past 30 years. Payton interviewed with four of the five HC-needy teams this year but made the Broncos his first meeting. The Broncos will have a depleted 2023 draft arsenal, thanks to the deals for Payton and Russell Wilson. But Payton will become by far the franchise’s highest-profile HC since Mike Shanahan.

This process included twists and turns, including another on Tuesday. Previously linked to having DeMeco Ryans as a frontrunner, the Broncos may or may not have circled back to him again hours ago. The Broncos attempted to hire Ryans, who just accepted the Texans’ HC offer, earlier today, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). When Ryans declined, the Broncos agreed to part with significant draft capital for Payton. Schefter, however, refutes this story and adds the Broncos did not contact Ryans — the Houston frontrunner for a few days now — this week (Twitter link). Regardless, the team produced one of the more eventful HC searches in recent years.

Broncos CEO Greg Penner flew to Ann Arbor to meet with Jim Harbaugh, who had previously turned the Broncos down to stay at Michigan. Dan Quinn, who interviewed with the team in each of the past two Januarys, also backed out of Denver’s search last week. Evidently not big on taking “no” for an answer, the new Broncos ownership group ended up landing the coach who was long believed to be the favorite. This certainly proved quite the journey.

Payton, 59, was believed to be intrigued by both the new Broncos ownership contingent and the prospect of coaching Wilson. The latter had included the Saints on his initial list of acceptable trade destinations back in 2021. While the Seahawks did not end up trading Wilson that year, Payton will attach his career to the potential Hall of Fame passer on the heels of his worst NFL season.

Wilson reached out to Payton during the process, and while the former Super Bowl-winning HC was connected to the Cowboys and Chargers’ jobs months ago, he will pass on those potentially opening up down the line to accept the Broncos’ offer. Said offer is likely to be massive, given the leverage Payton possessed. Payton was connected to seeking a deal worth more than $20MM per year. That would put the FOX analyst on par with the league’s highest-paid coaches.

Reports pegged Payton as both being onboard with Denver’s Rob Walton-fronted ownership contingent while also potentially fearing a power struggle with one of the struggling team’s new owners. Payton made a point to directly refute the latter stance, and it should be expected he will have final say when it comes to the Broncos’ roster. GM George Paton had held that control from 2021-22, and while a phonetically challenging Payton-Paton partnership could still be in the works, the team’s new head coach is believed to want to bring some personnel staffers with him. Penner said both Paton and the team’s next HC will report directly to him. Tuesday’s hire stands to further diminish Paton’s power, though the rumored Broncos big swing happening represents a major development for a team that has whiffed on a few HCs in recent years.

Denver won Super Bowl 50 in Gary Kubiak‘s first season and went 9-7 in 2016, narrowly missing the playoffs. Citing health reasons, Kubiak stepped down after the ’16 season. That began a wayward course for the Broncos, who saw first-time HCs Vance Joseph, Vic Fangio and Nathaniel Hackett combine for six straight losing seasons. Hackett’s tenure, in particular, led to ignominy. Despite trading for Wilson, the Broncos plummeted to last place offensively and saw their HC struggle with game management and play-calling — eventually giving up both those responsibilities — before becoming the third HC since the 1970 merger to be fired before his first season ended. That led to the Broncos’ push for an experienced coaching option. They will end up with one of this era’s top play-callers.

Despite taking over a team that went 3-13 during a Hurricane Katrina-affected 2005 season, Payton led the Saints to the 2006 NFC championship game and finished his New Orleans run without a 10-loss season. The Saints signed Drew Brees in 2006, but the future Hall of Fame passer — who had gone through an inconsistent Chargers tenure — made immense strides under Payton. Prior to the Brees-Payton partnership, the Saints had won one playoff game in 39 years. Payton and Brees ballooned that total to 10, churning out top-10 offenses annually. The Bountygate scandal dinged Payton’s reputation for a bit, but his return to the Saints produced another run of playoff berths and a would-be Super Bowl LIII trip — one a historically controversial pass interference no-call ultimately denied.

In seeing Payton follow Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick and Jon Gruden as modern coaches traded for packages fronted by first-round picks, the Saints will hold a 2023 first-rounder — months after sending their own to the Eagles in a deal that helped them move up for Chris Olave. Longtime Saints GM Mickey Loomis played his Payton card well, asking for two first-round picks and collecting first- and second-rounders.

The Saints will obtain the 49ers’ first-round pick (No. 29 overall), one the Broncos acquired from the Dolphins in the Bradley Chubb trade. This will officially close the book on the most successful tenure in Saints history. New Orleans is keeping ex-Payton lieutenant Dennis Allen around for a second season, but the second-chance HC still has plenty to prove after a 7-10 season in charge.

Over the past two years, the Broncos will have given up three first-round picks, three seconds and a fifth (while getting back third- and fourth-rounders) to bring Wilson and Payton to town. The Broncos now do not have a pick until this year’s third round. Draft-wise, this has been a historically costly period for the AFC West franchise. Denver held a second-round pick in last year’s draft, thanks to the 2021 Von Miller trade, but now will face a tougher road to adding talent around Wilson this year.

Considering the team’s 2022 disaster, making a big move to salvage Wilson trumped concerns about draft capital. The gap between Payton’s accomplishments and the non-Harbaugh wing of this year’s Broncos search will lead to the explosive transaction, and the former NFC South sideline mainstay chose a franchise that has biannual games against Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert as the place for his second HC stay. For a second straight year, the Broncos will be one of the most-discussed teams leading up to the season.

Saints To Hire Alabama’s Todd Grantham

February 3rd, 2023 at 12:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

After 13 years in the college game, Todd Grantham will come back to the NFL. The veteran college defensive coordinator will take a position on Dennis Allen‘s Saints staff, Chris Low of ESPN.com tweets.

Grantham spent the 2022 season at Alabama and interviewed for their DC job, but he will join Bill O’Brien in moving from the Crimson Tide’s staff to the pros during this year’s hiring period. The Saints have moved on from both of their co-DCs from last season — Ryan Nielsen, Kris Richard — but Grantham replacing them would be a slight upset.

The Saints are believed to have complied with the Rooney Rule for coordinators, interviewing former Browns and Broncos DC Joe Woods on Friday, but Grantham has not been an NFL DC since he served as such on Romeo Crennel‘s Cleveland staff from 2005-07. Grantham last worked in the pros in 2009, finishing out a two-year stay under Wade Phillips as Dallas’ defensive line coach. The New Orleans position will be a defensive assistant role, Low adds.

Grantham, 56, does have considerable experience as a college DC. He was in that role for Florida, Mississippi State, Louisville and Georgia from 2010-21. He worked as an analyst on Nick Saban’s staff last year. Grantham coached exclusively in the NFL from 1999-2009, working mostly as a D-line coach. Allen could be keen on moving him into that role; Nielsen had coached Saints D-linemen for the past six years.

The Saints also tried to hire Grantham in 2013, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.football notes (via Twitter), considering him for their DC role — one that ended up going to Rob Ryan. Grantham also removed his name from consideration for the Bengals’ DC post in 2019; Cincinnati hired Lou Anarumo.

The Gators ranked in the top 20 in scoring defense in each of Grantham’s first two seasons but dropped off over his final two campaigns. Although Florida’s defense produced the third-most sacks (158) in Division I-FBS during Grantham’s Gainesville run, Dan Mullen fired Grantham toward the end of the 2021 season. Grantham also oversaw a top-25 defensive performance at Louisville in his first season at the ACC program and has been in coaching since 1990.

2023 NFL Cap Space, By Team

February 2nd, 2023 at 1:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier this week, the NFL revealed its 2023 salary cap. Teams can now budget for their offseasons, knowing a $224.8MM ceiling is in place. This year’s nonexclusive franchise and transition tag numbers also emerged, giving teams more clarity on those fronts as well. With that in mind, here is where every team stands in terms of cap space:

Chicago Bears: $90.91MM
Atlanta Falcons: $56.42MM
New York Giants: $44.28MM
Houston Texans: $37.56MM
Cincinnati Bengals: $35.55MM
New England Patriots: $32.71MM
Seattle Seahawks: $31.04MM
Baltimore Ravens: $26.87MM
Las Vegas Raiders: $19.78MM
Arizona Cardinals: $14.47MM
Kansas City Chiefs: $13.96MM
Detroit Lions: $13.83MM
Indianapolis Colts: $12.59MM
Denver Broncos: $9.07MM
San Francisco 49ers: $8.28MM
Washington Commanders: $8.24MM
Philadelphia Eagles: $4.24MM
Pittsburgh Steelers: $1.03MM
New York Jets: $1.31MM over the cap
Dallas Cowboys: $7.18MM over
Carolina Panthers: $8.94MM over
Los Angeles Rams: $14.19MM over
Cleveland Browns: $14.64MM over
Miami Dolphins: $16.45MM over
Green Bay Packers: $16.48MM over
Buffalo Bills: $17.88MM over
Los Angeles Chargers: $20.38MM over
Jacksonville Jaguars: $22.35MM over
Minnesota Vikings: $23.43MM over
Tennessee Titans: $23.67MM over
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $55.03MM over
New Orleans Saints: $60.47MM over

These figures (courtesy of OverTheCap) will change dramatically in the coming weeks, but this is where each team stands ahead of Super Bowl LVII. After that point, cap-casualty cuts can begin taking place. Restructures, extensions and trades will commence as well, with the Saints of recent years doing well to prove there are a few roads to cap compliance.

While New Orleans is in its usual February place, the team actually was further over the 2021 and ’22 caps at this point on the NFL calendar. Using void years to load up its roster during Tom Brady‘s three-year stay, Tampa Bay has seen much of that bill come due. If Brady does not re-sign a procedural deal, which would allow for the Buccaneers to spread out his dead money, the team will be hit with a $35.1MM dead-cap charge this year.

The Browns led the league by a wide margin in cap carryover from 2022, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Cleveland carried over $27.6MM in cap space. The Browns paced the league in cap space throughout the 2022 season, bracing for the Deshaun Watson contract’s spike. As of now, Watson’s cap figure will balloon from $9.4MM to $54.9MM. No NFL player has ever played a season on a cap number higher than $45MM.

The Panthers, Broncos, Bears and Raiders rounded out the top five in carryover dollars, ranging from $10.8MM to $6.7MM. Chicago ate considerable dead money via the Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn trades. The rebuilding team is still paying most of Quinn’s salary, doing so in order to secure a better draft pick from the Eagles. The Bears will have quite the opportunity to bolster their roster in Ryan Poles‘ second year in charge, leading the league by a massive margin and holding the No. 1 overall pick. The Falcons still have $12MM-plus in Deion Jones dead money on their 2023 payroll, but the team is rid of Matt Ryan‘s record-setting dead-cap hit ($40MM).

Baltimore will have a major decision to make in the coming weeks. GM Eric DeCosta said he has not decided if the team will place the exclusive or nonexclusive tag on Lamar Jackson. Even the nonexclusive number — $32.42MM — will dramatically change the Ravens’ budget ahead of free agency. The exclusive tag, which prevents other teams from submitting an offer sheet to Jackson, is expected to come in just north of $45MM.

Joe Woods To Interview For Saints’ DC Job

February 2nd, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints used a co-defensive coordinator setup in Dennis Allen‘s first season, which featured the defensive-minded head coach carrying both Kris Richard and Ryan Nielsen as his top lieutenants. Both are now gone, and the Saints are looking for a new coach to work with Allen.

Allen has reached out to one of his former Raiders coworkers. The Saints are set to interview former Browns and Broncos DC Joe Woods for the job, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Browns fired Woods just after the season ended, ending a three-year stay.

Woods, 52, and Allen did not exactly overlap for long in Oakland. Allen hired the ex-Vikings assistant in 2014, months before being fired early in the season. Woods finished out the year with the Raiders but was a one-and-done with the organization. Woods then played a part in one of this era’s most dominant defenses, coaching the Super Bowl-winning Broncos’ secondary in 2015. But his time as Denver’s DC did not go as well.

Denver did not renew Wade Phillips‘ contract in 2017, promoting Woods. But the team declined defensively and ended up replacing Woods with Vic Fangio to lead the defense. Woods was also on the 49ers’ staff during their most recent Super Bowl year, putting him back on the radar for DC posts. His Browns stay generated mixed results.

While Cleveland’s defense ranked fifth in yardage in 2021, the unit struggled this past season. Woods drew criticism for miscommunications and his scheme overall and hinted at a potential firing ahead of the Browns’ Week 18 game. Cleveland ranked 23rd in defensive DVOA. New Orleans, conversely, is coming off a season in which it DVOA measured its defense eighth. Nielsen is now the Falcons’ defensive coordinator, while the Saints parted ways with Richard on Wednesday night. Allen called the signals for the 2022 Saints defensively, despite moving up to HC, so it will be interesting to see how much will change once he fills the DC post.

Broncos Want Sean Payton To Retain Ejiro Evero

February 2nd, 2023 at 10:24am CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 2: Evero and Payton will discuss the prospect of working together Thursday, Michael Silver of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. With the Cardinals and Colts’ HC positions having not yet been filled, Evero continues to have options on multiple levels. The Vikings are now interested in interviewing him for their DC gig. It is safe to say the ex-Rams position coach is one of the NFL’s fastest-rising staffers. Evero remains under contract with the Broncos, though CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson adds Payton has a few names in mind for the DC position (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 1: With Sean Payton set to leave his one-year post as a FOX analyst and take over the Broncos, the topic of his staff will come up. Ejiro Evero remains in the mix for the Cardinals and Colts’ head coaching jobs, but the Broncos would like to retain the Nathaniel Hackett-tabbed defensive coordinator.

Payton will have final say over his staff, but Mike Klis of 9News notes Broncos brass would like to keep Evero on for a second season as DC. The Broncos hired Evero to head up their defense last year, offered him their interim HC job after Hackett’s firing and made him one of their first interviews for the full-time position Payton just landed. It is unclear how Payton feels about keeping a holdover for such an important position, but the Broncos were clearly impressed with Evero’s first season.

As Denver’s offense imploded, the team still rarely found itself in blowout losses. Evero’s defense, despite injuries and the Bradley Chubb trade, largely kept the team in games. The Broncos ranked 10th in defensive DVOA and seventh in total defense. Evero has longstanding ties to Hackett, with the two having been friends since college, and has come up in head coach and coordinator searches.

The Broncos showed their cards with Evero by blocking him from interviewing for the Falcons’ DC post, which would be a lateral move since Evero called plays last season. Evero, 42, remains under contract. The Rams are also interested in bringing Evero back, in the event Raheem Morris lands a head coaching gig. While coaches from five-win teams are not poached often, Evero interviewing for all five HC positions this year paints a fairly clear picture of his rise.

Payton employed Dennis Allen as his DC from 2015-21 and figures to bring his own staffers to fill most of the Broncos’ assistant spots. He has been tied to Vic Fangio, and while the acclaimed defensive leader has said he has not signed a contract with the Dolphins just yet, it would be a surprise if he returned to Denver so soon. The Broncos fired Fangio after three seasons, with the exec who pulled the trigger on that move — GM George Paton — still in place. The Broncos stand to upgrade tremendously on offense with Payton, but losing Evero could hurt their defense — or at least bring significant change to one of the NFL’s better units.

Multiple factors held up the Broncos’ Payton process, per Klis, who notes the Saints indeed followed through with the Jon Gruden asking price. The Saints first set the Payton price at two first-round picks and two seconds — the cost Tampa Bay paid Oakland for Gruden 21 years ago — before moving down to the Bill Parcells haul. The Jets sent the Patriots first-, second-, third- and fourth-rounders over a three-year period to acquire Parcells’ rights back in 1997. Denver balked at both price points, and after Paton and Mickey Loomis spent days negotiating, the GMs eventually settled on the Chubb pick (No. 30 overall) and a 2024 second-rounder in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third. This transaction doubles as the first coaching trade in 17 years, since the Chiefs sent the Jets a fourth-round pick for Herm Edwards.

The other delay here involved Jim Harbaugh. The Michigan HC resurfacing in the Broncos’ search altered the process, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan tweets. Both Harbaugh and DeMeco Ryans resided as Broncos favorites at points during this lengthy search, as each did not require draft compensation to hire. Ryans ended up preferring the Texans, and Harbaugh twice informed the Broncos — the second time after CEO Greg Penner flew to Ann Arbor for a second meeting — he was staying at Michigan. The Broncos did not make Harbaugh an offer, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. The Vikings also did not offer Harbaugh their HC job after their 2022 interview.

Although the Broncos had targeted other coaches, Payton had long been a frontrunner and still possessed considerable leverage here. The Super Bowl-winning HC had the option of staying at FOX — something Breer adds the Broncos believed he would do (Twitter link) — or moving forward with one of this year’s HC-needy teams. Payton informed the Panthers he was no longer interested in their position, Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports notes (video link), and the Cardinals adding a few names to their mix Monday provided a good indication they were not in the Payton race any longer. But the Broncos will pay up to guard against Payton doing TV for another year and potentially hopping on the 2024 coaching carousel for a higher-profile job.

Payton’s Broncos deal with average between $17-21MM, per Klis and Denver7’s Troy Renck (Twitter link). That will place the longtime Saints HC in the top coaching tax bracket. Rob Walton‘s ownership group will be in position to pay up for the assistants Payton wants, adding some intrigue to Denver’s staff. While the team almost certainly will not insist Evero stays, such a move will be encouraged.

Buccaneers Interviewed Ronald Curry For OC Job

February 1st, 2023 at 8:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers are looking within their own division to fill their offensive coordinator vacancy. The team announced that they interviewed Saints passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry for their OC job on Tuesday night.

Curry wasn’t the only candidate in the building yesterday. We previously learned that Georgia offensive coordinator Todd Monken and Giants QBs coach Shea Tierney also met with Tampa Bay on Tuesday. The team previously interviewed Jaguars passing-game coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, Broncos QBs coach Klint Kubiak, Vikings wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell, and Bengals QBs coach Dan Pitcher (who ultimately decided to stick in Cincy) for the job. Former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has also been mentioned as a potential candidate, while Texans offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (who is likely on his way out in Houston) declined his interview request.

Curry has been with the Saints organization since the 2016 season, working his way from offensive assistant to wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach. While New Orleans has dealt with an inconsistent quarterback depth chart during Curry’s two seasons in the role, the Saints have still managed to put up impressive passing numbers. Jameis Winston and Trevor Siemian combined for 25 touchdowns vs. only six interceptions in 2021, and the coach squeezed an 18-touchdown, nine-interception season out of Andy Dalton in 2022.

During Curry’s stint as New Orleans’ WRs coach, Michael Thomas established himself as one of the most product wideouts in the NFL. Thomas earned a pair of first-team All-Pro nods playing under Curry, and the receiver also set the single-season record with 149 catches in 2019.

The Buccaneers are looking at some major changes on offense next season with Byron Leftwich out as offensive coordinator. Of course, we also learned earlier today that quarterback Tom Brady was hanging up his cleats, leading to major question marks at the quarterback position heading into the offseason.

Saints Part Ways With Kris Richard

February 1st, 2023 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Dennis Allen is set to have a completely new defensive coaching staff in New Orleans. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the Saints are parting ways with co-defensive coordinator Kris Richard.

Richard, who was also responsible for coaching the secondary in 2022, split DC duties with Ryan Nielsen, who ended up leaving New Orleans to become the Falcons’ new defensive coordinator.According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football (on Twitter), Richard was a valued member of the coaching staff but “some philosophical differences” led to the team looking elsewhere.

This means Allen, who previously served as the Saints DC, will now be on the look out for a new coach to guide the defense. Per Underhill (on Twitter), the head coach intends to oversee and run everything on the defensive side of the ball. However, the team still intends to hire a defensive coordinator, a defensive line coach, and a secondary coach.

Richard originally joined the Saints as their defensive backs coach in 2021. His gig in New Orleans was preceded by a two-year stint in Dallas, where he served as the Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator. The coach cut his teeth in Seattle, eventually culminating in him becoming defensive coordinator in 2015. During Richard’s first two years at the helm, the Seahawks ranked as a top-three defense, but following an underwhelming 2017 campaign, the coach was relieved of his duties.

The 43-year-old has been a popular name on the coaching circuit this offseason, and the fact that he was willing to take interviews for a minor promotion probably hinted that his time in New Orleans could be coming to an end. Richard was connected to defensive coordinator jobs with the Dolphins and Panthers. The coach could also be a candidate to join Sean Payton with the Broncos, according to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver (via Twitter).

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