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Saints Hire Scott Linehan, Fill Out Staff

March 3rd, 2025 at 6:26pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are hiring several coaches to round out Kellen Moore‘s staff, including former Rams head coach Scott Linehan, according to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

The 61-year-old Linehan has 35 years of coaching experience, including several stints as offensive coordinator at top college programs (Washington, Louisville) and several NFL teams (Vikings, Dolphins, Rams, Cowboys). He also served as the Rams’ head coach from 2006-2008. The team compiled an 11-25 record before Linehan was fired due to an 0-4 start to the 2008 season.

Linehan has spent the last five years coaching at the college level. He was LSU’s passing game coordinator in 2020 before taking offensive analyst positions at Missouri (2021-2023) and Montana (2024). Now, he’s set to join Moore’s staff, likely in a role under offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.

Linehan has plenty of familiarity with his new colleagues. He was the Lions’ offensive coordinator when they signed Moore as an undrafted rookie quarterback in 2012. Linehan recognized Moore’s potential as a coach and began mentoring him in Detroit, per Nick Triplett of NewOrleans.Football. Linehan then brought Moore with him to Dallas when he took over as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator in 2015.

Linehan was also the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Idaho in 1992 and 1993 when Nussmeier was the Vandals’ starting quarterback. Nussmeier has also served as an assistant coach on Linehan’s staff with the Rams and the Cowboys.

The Saints are also adding to their defensive staff with expected hires of Grady Brown and Robert Blanton, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Brown is a veteran defensive backs coach who spent the last four years with the Steelers and interviewed for the Falcons’ defensive coordinator vacancy this year.

Blanton is a former NFL safety who briefly overlapped with Moore when both played for the Cowboys in 2017. He has spent the last four years as the defensive pass game coordinator and safeties coach at Miami University (Ohio).

Saints Interested In Re-Signing Chase Young, Paulson Adebo

March 2nd, 2025 at 8:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

As usual, the Saints exited a Combine with plenty of work to do in order to reach cap compliance. Mickey Loomis‘ latest round of moves will also need to give his team — one armed with a new coaching staff — some spending room, which will take considerable maneuvering.

The Saints are more than $47MM over the cap. This is the same franchise that once hovered more than $75MM over and carved out enough room to franchise tag Marcus Williams in 2021, so Loomis’ talents here should not be underestimated. As the Saints are planning to keep Derek Carr (and thus delay a rebuild further), they also have some defensive players in mind they would like to retain.

Both Paulson Adebo and Chase Young are set to hit free agency March 10. Both players (spoilers) will be included on PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents list following Tuesday’s franchise tag deadline, as each carries interesting appeal. Young stayed healthy after neck surgery. Adebo did not, but his age (26 in July) makes him an interesting free agent, as the market will include a host of older corners aiming to cash in on a third contract.

The Saints are believed to be interested in re-signing both players, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. This will take some doing on Loomis’ part, as he begins his 24th offseason as Saints GM, as both starters will draw extensive interest.

This market is light on proven edge rusher types, as could be expected due to the position’s place in the NFL hierarchy, but Young has an interesting case to make. The severe knee injury (ACL tear, patellar tendon rupture) sustained in November 2021 threw Young’s Washington path off track, and a neck injury both impacted his value at the 2023 trade deadline and again in free agency. After signing a contract containing much of its value in per-game roster bonuses, Young was rewarded upon playing all 17 Saints games.

The former Defensive Rookie of the Year (quietly) put together a decent season. While only registering 5.5 sacks, Young topped his career high with 21 QB hits. Young’s 34 pressures were tied for 13th. The Saints have Cameron Jordan going into an age-36 season, as the popular New Orleans staple is nearing the end of the line. They also missed on their 2021 Payton Turner first-round pick. This opens a door for Young to stay, but as he searches for a bigger-money deal than he landed in 2024, it will not be easy to keep the former Heisman finalist off the market.

Marshon Lattimore‘s injury struggles both rankled some in the Saints’ building and gave Adebo an extended run as the team’s No. 1 corner. The 2021 third-round pick held his own, yielding just one touchdown pass (as the closest defender) and holding QBs to a collective 62.7 passer rating. Adebo intercepted four passes and notched 18 breakups that season.

He had started off well in 2024, picking off three passes and defending 10 more in seven games. But a broken femur sustained in a Week 7 loss to the Broncos complicates Adebo’s free agency, though Fowler adds the four-year veteran’s height (6-foot-1) has helped provide intrigue as free agency nears. Broken femurs are not nearly as common in the NFL as ACL and Achilles tears, adding a high hurdle for Adebo to clear before the 2025 season.

As the Stanford alum determines his future, Fowler adds he is believed to be recovering well from the significant injury. While Adebo indicated an interest in staying, he stopped short of saying he would not thoroughly explore the market.

NFL Staff Rumors: Livingston, Patriots, Titans

March 1st, 2025 at 4:13pm CST by Ely Allen

Robert Livingston has a long history in the NFL, all with the Bengals. He spent his first season away from the NFL since 2011 last year, and he was very close to returning, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

After his playing career as a safety at William & Mary ended in 2009, Livingston immediately turned to coaching, starting as the safeties coach at Furman in 2010. He spent the next season as a defensive quality control coach at Vanderbilt before heading to Cincinnati.

He started with the Bengals as a scout, holding the role for three years before making his way onto the coaching staff as defensive quality control. It only took one season for him to get promoted to safeties coach in Cincinnati, a role he held for eight years. Last year, he departed in order to accept his first defensive coordinator role under Deion Sanders in Boulder.

After leading the Buffaloes to rank 50th in total defense and 42nd in scoring defense, Livingston reportedly interviewed for the coordinator job under new head coach Kellen Moore in New Orleans. Breer tells us that, though he didn’t get the job, Livingston “made a real impression” on the Saints, giving Moore plenty to consider before he eventually selected Brandon Staley for the job. This bodes well for a potential return to the NFL as a coordinator for Livingston in the future.

Here are a couple other staff rumors from around the NFL:

  • Patriots director of pro personnel Pat Stewart has departed from the NFL to accept a general manager position with the University of Nebraska, per Pete Thamel of ESPN. Per Thamel’s colleague at ESPN, Mike Reiss, Sam Fioroni, last year’s assistant director of pro personnel for New England, could be a top candidate to fill the new vacancy.
  • Lastly, Dylan Autenrieth will make the in-state move from Vanderbilt to the Titans. The former assistant offensive line coach for the Commodores announced on his X account that he had been hired to a defensive quality control coaching role for Tennessee, making his NFL coaching debut.

Coaching Notes: Chargers, Saints, Sirmon, Wilber, Eagles, Vikings, Chiefs, Steelers

February 27th, 2025 at 8:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jim Harbaugh now has former Michigan offensive and defensive coordinators on his staff. A year after bringing Jesse Minter with him, the Chargers HC is hiring Kirk Campbell from Ann Arbor, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. Campbell moved up to Wolverines OC following Harbaugh’s exit but was in place as QBs coach during the team’s unbeaten national championship-winning season. Campbell, 38, moved up the ranks quickly, rising from offensive assistant in 2022 to OC two years later. Serving as Old Dominion’s OC before heading to Michigan, Campbell will be in place as a Chargers offensive assistant in 2025.

The Bolts have also promoted Dylan Roney to edge rushers coach, CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz adds. Roney, 29, had joined Minter in following Harbaugh to Los Angeles last year, working as a defensive assistant. He was previously in place as a Michigan graduate assistant.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

  • The last team to make an HC hire this year, the Saints continue to fill out Kellen Moore‘s staff. New Orleans is hiring two former NFL linebackers. They are adding Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon as its linebackers coach, ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel tweets. Sirmon played seven seasons with the Titans, starting for the final four (2003-06). He had been the Golden Bears’ DC for the past six years. This will be the former NFLer’s first coaching job in the league. Another retired linebacker, Kyle Wilber, will join Moore as Saints assistant special teams coach, NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill tweets. Wilber was a Moore teammate in Dallas, playing with the Cowboys from 2012-17; he comes over after two years on the Packers’ staff.
  • Elsewhere on New Orleans’ staff, the team is hiring Bo Davis to be its D-line coach, NOLA.com’s Luke Johnson tweets. This is a local hire, as Davis was previously in place as LSU’s D-line coach. Davis previously spent time on the Dolphins and Lions’ staffs. They are adding Texas assistant Terry Joseph to be their defensive pass-game coordinator, per Pelissero. Terry Joseph is the younger brother of Broncos DC Vance Joseph; he had been the Longhorns’ pass-game coordinator for four seasons.
  • Needing a QBs coach because the Saints poached theirs (Doug Nussmeier) for OC, the Eagles interviewed Syracuse QBs coach Nunzio Campanile, per 247Sports.com. Campanile had previously served as interim HC and OC at Rutgers; he spent the past two years at Syracuse, being retained despite the Orange changing HCs in 2024. The Eagles are also are bringing back a familiar face, hiring Greg Austin, according to 94WIP’s Eliot Shorr-Parks. Austin was the team’s assistant O-line coach under Chip Kelly from 2013-15. After some time in the college ranks, Austin worked in a quality-control role on Doug Pederson‘s Jaguars staff. He will likely work under Jeff Stoutland, Shorr-Parks adds.
  • Keith Carter has resurfaced in Minnesota. The Vikings hired the former Jets and Titans offensive line coach as their assistant O-line coach. An NFL assistant for the past nine years, Carter was fired from his post as Titans O-line coach after the 2022 season. He resurfaced under Nathaniel Hackett in New York in 2023.
  • The Chiefs are also greenlighting a reunion, rehiring Matt House. Formerly the Chiefs’ linebackers coach form 2019-21, House is now in place as a senior defensive assistant with Kansas City. The veteran staffer had been working as the Jaguars’ ILBs coach, having served as LSU’s DC during the two years prior. He also served as DC at Kentucky, Pitt and Florida International over the past decade. The Chiefs also hired Chris Orr as a defensive quality control coach.
  • After Aaron Curry joined the Jets’ staff, the Steelers have replaced him as ILBs coach. They brought in Scott McCurley to fill the job. A Western Pennsylvania native, McCourley was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach throughout Mike McCarthy‘s tenure. He previously spent 13 years under McCarthy in Green Bay, working his way up to Packers LBs coach.

Saints Planning To Retain Derek Carr

February 26th, 2025 at 10:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ on-brand restructure of Derek Carr‘s contract last year leaves them with a harder out on the middling quarterback’s contract. Even after the Broncos took on $83MM-plus in dead money to drop Russell Wilson, a Saints-Carr split would bring a noticeable dead cap hit for a team that wages cap-compliance odysseys annually.

It would cost New Orleans $50.1MM in total to drop Carr. While the team could halve that (roughly) with a post-June 1 designation this year, it would still leave Kellen Moore‘s team in need at the game’s marquee position. While the Saints’ new HC stopped short of confirming Carr would lead his first New Orleans offense, Mickey Loomis leaned more in that direction at the Combine.

The 24th-year Saints GM said (via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell) Carr is “a guy we can win with,” as the veteran exec indicated the team will prepare for a third season with Carr at the helm. He remains tied to the four-year, $150MM deal authorized in 2023. The Saints would have had an easier time removing this contract from their payroll had the 2024 restructure not taken place, but the team needed to complete its usual quest to create cap space.

Retaining Carr may not be the most exciting news to Saints fans, but their cap situation — even as skilled as Loomis has proven in escaping trouble and stalling a true rebuild — would worsen considerably with a Carr separation. The Saints are still projected to be nearly $50MM over the 2025 cap. They have until 3pm CT on March 12 to move out of the red.

Moore also offered more support for Carr on Wednesday, indicating the Saints “feel fortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has. He’s a big-time quarterback in this league.” Loomis had said his next HC hire would shape the team’s QB direction; it appears, for now, this remains a Carr-centric roster. Moore’s team will assuredly be looking for a Carr heir apparent either this year or next, as this will be the age-34 season of a quarterback who has resided in the league’s middle class at the position for most of his career.

Last year, however, Carr did carry his highest QBR since 2020; the ex-Raider finished his abbreviated season with a 63.4 QBR. That would have been good for 13th in the league, though Carr did not have enough snaps to qualify. That showing also came after the Saints played without starting wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for most of the season. Carr missed seven games as well, marking by far his lowest attendance in an NFL season. He had never previously missed more than two regular-season games.

Carr said earlier this year he would not accept a pay cut from the Saints. He is due a $10MM roster bonus in March, when his $30MM base salary will become guaranteed. That is a sizable commitment for the Saints, but they do not have great options to move on. Beyond the above-referenced financial ramifications, New Orleans needs a future QB answer in what is viewed as a down draft at the position. Using Carr as a bridge while Loomis and Moore plan ahead makes sense, even if the Saints continue to punt on a rebuild.

Saints Hire Brandon Staley As DC

February 21st, 2025 at 10:39pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints are hiring former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley as their next defensive coordinator, per Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Staley has been a top candidate for the Saints’ DC gig ever since Kellen Moore was hired as head coach. Moore was the Chargers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, Staley’s last season as head coach. Staley was fired before the end of the regular season and spent 2024 as an assistant head coach with the 49ers. He interviewed with the Saints last weekend and emerged as the favorite for the job, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

2025 will be Staley’s ninth season coaching in the NFL. He began his career at the college level before moving to the pros as an outside linebackers coach under Vic Fangio in Chicago (2017-2018) and Denver (2019). Staley was then hired by the Rams in 2020 as defensive coordinator. His defense finished first in total points and yards allowed, which helped him land the Chargers’ head-coaching gig after just one year as a coordinator.

Staley led the Chargers to a 9-8 record in his debut season with a top-five offense under second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. A 10-7 record in 2022 was enough for a playoff berth as a wild card, though the Chargers lost to the Jaguars in the first round. 2023 saw significant regression on both sides of the ball, leading to Staley’s firing after a 5-9 start. Of particular concern was the Chargers’ defensive struggles during his tenure; the team never finished higher than 20th in points or yards allowed across his three seasons.

Staley’s history with Fangio likely helped him land the job in New Orleans. Fangio is currently the Eagles’ defensive coordinator and worked with Moore in Philadelphia last season. The two led elite units on either side of the ball to a 14-3 record in the regular season and a victory in Super Bowl LIX. Staley will likely install a scheme similar to Fangio’s in New Orleans in an effort to turn around a Saints defense that allowed the third-most yards in the NFL in 2024.

The Saints may face criticism for their hiring process. Their other two candidates, Daronte Jones and Christian Parker, are both minorities. Given Staley’s early status as a frontrunner for the job, the Saints’ meetings with Jones and Parker could be seen as sham interviews that were only conducted so the team could comply with the NFL’s Rooney Rule.

New Orleans also considered some college coaches for their defensive coordinator vacancy, including Colorado DC Robert Livingston, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. Here is a final update on their search:

Saints To Hire Doug Nussmeier As OC

February 20th, 2025 at 10:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Doug Nussmeier is indeed set to continue working with Kellen Moore in 2025. The Saints are hiring Nussmeier as their offensive coordinator, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Earlier this week, it became clear Moore and the Saints were aiming to hire Nussmeier. The two will continue working together in New Orleans as Moore takes on his first career head coaching gig. The Eagles, of course, have already filled their OC vacancy.

Especially after Mike McCarthy was out of the running for the Saints’ head coaching gig, Moore became the top name to watch. New Orleans arranged to speak with him after the Super Bowl, and at that point Nussmeier’s name was mentioned as a strong contender to join Moore in New Orleans. The two have worked alongside each other with the Cowboys, Chargers and Eagles (Moore’s previous OC destinations) and that will continue next season.

Nussmeier’s coaching career dates back to 2001, and on five occasions he operated as an offensive coordinator at the college level. This will be the 54-year-old’s first OC opportunity in the NFL, albeit with a familiar face alongside him. Moore has already confirmed, to no surprise, that he will call plays as head coach.

The Saints’ offense features a number of questions at the moment, and the future of quarterback Derek Carr is uncertain as things stand. Even if the veteran remains in place for 2025, strong play up front will be needed in addition to increased efficiency through the air. During Klint Kubiak‘s one-and-done campaign at the helm, New Orleans ranked 23rd in passing yards. A healthy season from Carr (presuming he is not cut or traded) will help in that department, but in any event Nussmeier’s background as a quarterbacks coach will make him a key figure on Moore’s staff for whichever passer the team uses in 2025.

Other moves have been made in recent days as part of Moore’s efforts to quickly build a staff after taking on head coaching duties in the wake of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. The Saints’ defensive coordinator position has not been filled yet, but attention can now turn in that direction with Nussmeier in the fold.

Saints Promote Phil Galiano To STC

February 20th, 2025 at 3:59pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saint are promoting Phil Galiano to serve as special teams coordinator on Kellen Moore‘s new staff, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Galiano joined the Saints in 2019 as an assistant special teams coach under coordinator Darren Rizzi. After Rizzi left New Orleans to reunite with Sean Payton in Denver, Galiano became the obvious candidate to take over the Saints’ special teams operations. He has an extensive history with Rizzi, so the Saints will maintain some continuity on special teams heading into 2025.

Galiano has 25 years of coaching experience across the college and pro ranks. He served in a variety of roles at the college level, including a three-year stretch as FIU’s defensive coordinator and three different stints at Rutgers, where he coached several different position groups and even spent a year as the director of recruiting in 2015.

In the NFL, however, Galiano has focused on special teams. He was the Buccaneers’ assistant special teams coach in 2012 and 2013 and a special teams intern with the Dolphins in 2016. Galiano spent the next two years at Penn State, first as a defensive consultant in 2017, then as a special teams coach and assistant defensive line coach in 2018.

Rizzi then recruited Galiano to join him in New Orleans after the two overlapped on coaching staffs at Rutgers and in Miami. Rizzi was Rutgers’ special teams coordinator from 2002 to 2007 while Galiano was a defensive assistant. They worked closely together in Miami, where Galiano was an intern on Rizzi’s special teams staff.

Moore has now filled two of his three coordinator spots in addition to a variety of assistant roles. The Saints are still deciding on their next defensive coordinator, with ex-Chargers head coach Brandon Staley considered a favorite for the job.

Saints Hire Scott Tolzien, T.J. Paganetti; Team ‘Zeroing In’ On Doug Nussmeier As OC

February 18th, 2025 at 5:29pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Like many coordinators who get head coaching opportunities, Kellen Moore is bringing multiple members of his staff in Philadelphia to his new job in New Orleans.

The Saints “are currently working to finalize a deal” to make Doug Nussmeier their next offensive coordinator, per veteran NFL insider Josina Anderson. Nussmeier spent 2024 as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and is considered the frontrunner for the job position in New Orleans. He previously coached quarterbacks for the Chargers and the Cowboys. Nussmeier also served as offensive coordinator for several major college programs from 2008 to 2017, including Alabama, Florida, and Michigan.

Nussmeier isn’t the only top Eagles assistant following Moore to New Orleans. The Saints are also hiring Eagles run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach T.J. Paganetti, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. He has spent the last eight seasons in Philadelphia, working closely with legendary Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Paganetti will likely take over as the Saints’ offensive line coach after John Benton followed Klint Kubiak to Seattle.

Moore is hiring another familiar face to serve as quarterbacks coach in Scott Tolzien, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tolzien was an assistant in Dallas when Moore was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. Tolzien was promoted to quarterbacks coach after Moore moved on in 2023, but was not expected to be retained on Brian Schottenheimer‘s new staff.

Tolzien, a former NFL quarterback himself, will help the Saints navigate an uncertain quarterback situation this year. Derek Carr performed well in 2024, but struggled to stay healthy. His durability will remain a concern entering his age-34 season – if he even stays on the roster – but neither Spencer Rattler nor Jake Haener inspired much confidence in 2024. The Saints’ cap situation will hinder them in the free agent quarterback market, and the draft’s top quarterbacks will likely go before their first round pick (No. 9 overall).

Seahawks Add Justin Outten, Rick Dennison To Staff

February 18th, 2025 at 1:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 18: In addition to the Outten hire, the expected move of bringing in Dennison is now official. The former will have the title of assistant offensive line coach in addition to his run-game specialist role, while the latter will work as Seattle’s run-game coordinator.

FEBRUARY 13: Two former offensive coordinators are joining Klint Kubiak in Seattle. The Seahawks are adding Justin Outten to their coaching staff, and Rick Dennison is believed to be joining him.

This will be a reunion among ex-Broncos, as Dennison coached with Gary Kubiak during both the latter’s Denver coaching stints (the latter of which involving Klint). Outten and Klint Kubiak were together on a rather memorable 2022 Broncos staff. Outten is coming aboard as a run-game specialist, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.

[RELATED: Seahawks Hire Klint Kubiak As OC]

Dennison, who is following Klint from New Orleans (per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta), received Saints permission to interview with the Seahawks, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add. Teams can block contracted assistants from leaving, but with the Saints changing coaching staffs, it is not too surprising they let Dennison explore other options.

Although coordinators regularly have leeway to bring in assistants, the Seahawks signing off in reuniting the two right-hand men on offense during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous Broncos season is interesting. Both Kubiak and Outten called plays at points that season, with Hackett initially going around Outten to give play-calling duties — as the Broncos struggled mightily in Russell Wilson‘s debut — to his QBs coach. After the Broncos fired Hackett, Outten called plays during the team’s final two games.

A former Packers staffer, Outten spent the past two seasons on the Titans’ staff. He served as Tennessee’s running backs coach and run-game coordinator in 2023 and was retained under new HC Brian Callahan last season, when he coached tight ends. The Titans had planned to move on this offseason. It appears this Seattle role will be closer to his 2023 position, as the Seahawks look to generate more from their run game after Mike Macdonald expressed concern about it upon firing OC Ryan Grubb.

Dennison, 66, has spent much of his career working with the Kubiaks. A teammate of Gary’s in the 1980s and ’90s with the Broncos, Dennison coached on Mike Shanahan‘s staff alongside his former teammate from 1995-2005. Dennison stayed in Denver after Kubiak landed the Houston HC job in 2006, replacing his colleague as Broncos OC. Kubiak then hired him as Texans OC in 2010. Dennison coached with Gary Kubiak again in Baltimore and back in Denver, where he reprised his role as Broncos OC from 2015-16. While Denver’s Super Bowl-winning team is best remembered for its defense, Dennison was a key presence during the one-year Kubiak-Peyton Manning overlap.

Dennison worked with both Kubiaks in Minnesota and then rejoined Klint as part of the 2024 Saints’ staff, serving as a senior offensive assistant. Dennison has been an NFL staffer for 28 years. While the Seahawks have 30-somethings at HC and OC, they now have two 60-somethings (Dennison, Leslie Frazier) as key advisors.

Additionally, the Seahawks are adding Michael Byrne to their staff as an offensive assistant. Byrne is also following Klint Kubiak from New Orleans and also worked with the new Seattle OC at Texas A&M during the early 2010s. An analytics-geared staffer, Byrne also spent time with Pro Football Focus.

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