A total of seven NFL head coaching vacancies opened up this offseason. All but the New Orleans Saints’ job has been filled.
So, what are the Saints waiting for? Why haven’t they hired a head coach for the 2025 season yet? As always, there’s a reason behind their decision-making process.
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New Orleans Saints job viewed as ‘undesirable’
Mike McCarthy won’t be coaching the New Orleans Saints next season. He won’t be coaching any NFL team. Thus, there’s a new frontrunner emerging in the Saints’ coaching search.
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Yet, according to Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline, others around the league indicate that there’s simply a lack of interest in a job that many view as “undesirable.”
“I’ve tried to get to the bottom of why it’s taken the New Orleans Saints so long to hire a coach, and people tell me it’s not a desirable job at present time. One person told me outright, ‘No one wants the job!’ An exaggeration? Yes, but there is a bit of truth to it. The reasons given include the salary cap hell the team is facing and the front office”
Pauline on New Orleans Saints
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Oftentimes, new coaches want to pick a new GM or at least start the job by ensuring they’re on the same page with the person who will have the final say over the roster. Yet, the Saints opted to keep GM Mickey Loomis, which could be impacting their coaching search.
Just look at Jacksonville: weeks into their coaching search, they finally decided to admit their mistake by cutting bait with GM Trent Baalke. Shortly after, they had a new head coach with Liam Coen jumping ship from the Buccaneers to the Jaguars.
Yet, as Pauline notes, the Saints are in rough shape when it comes to the salary cap. The Saints have the least cap space in the NFL and are currently projected to begin the offseason needing to clear roughly $60 million from their 2025 cap sheet before they can even add a player to the roster.
So it makes sense that candidates are hesitant to attach their name to what could be a disaster waiting to happen, especially considering most people only ever get one chance to be an NFL head coach.
