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Darren Rizzi

2025 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

January 15th, 2025 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy splitting up, seven teams have made coaching changes so far during this year’s cycle. Here are the candidates connected to each of the now-HC-needy franchises. If more teams make changes, they will be added to the list.

Updated 1-16-25 (10:00pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Jets Request HC Interview With Saints’ Darren Rizzi

January 7th, 2025 at 1:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Darren Rizzi has not been eliminated from the Saints’ full-time HC post, though considering how the only interim coach-turned-full-timer since 2017 fared, it would be rather surprising if New Orleans gave this scenario serious consideration.

Antonio Pierce went 4-13 as Raiders HC and is not certain to return. The 2023 interim Las Vegas leader, however, received interview requests from the Falcons and Titans last year. Pierce’s 5-4 run as interim Raiders HC impressed elsewhere as well. A year later, Rizzi is receiving outside interest after his half-season interim run.

[RELATED: Rizzi Aiming To Become Saints’ Full-Time Head Coach]

The Jets have made Rizzi part of their search process, requesting a meeting, per NewOrleans.football’s Nick Underhill. This is an unusual place to be, as Rizzi is both expected to be included in the Saints’ interview process and would be on track to remain part of New Orleans’ next coaching staff even if he does not land the full-time HC gig. A Jets meeting could, however, throw a wrench in those plans.

Rizzi, 54, has been a special teams coordinator since 2010 and has coached in the NFL since 2009. The Jets observed Rizzi’s ST work from 2009-18, when he was with the Dolphins; the final nine years of that stint came as Miami’s ST coordinator. While working under Tony Sparano, Joe Philbin and Adam Gase, Rizzi was not brought back under Brian Flores. The Saints hired him in 2019 and bumped him up to assistant HC in 2022.

The Saints went 3-5 under Rizzi. That represents an achievement in itself given the injuries to Derek Carr, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on offense. New Orleans won its first two games with Rizzi at the helm and then pushed Tampa Bay in the teams’ Week 18 matchup, making the eventual NFC South champions sweat before ultimately falling. While Rizzi presented a compelling case, the Saints’ struggles with Dennis Allen — another Sean Payton assistant promoted — would point to an outside hire of some sort taking place.

Courtesy of PFR’s Head Coaching Search Tracker, here is how the Jets’ HC search looks so far:

Saints Expected To Have Interest In Matt Nagy For HC Job

January 4th, 2025 at 10:43pm CST by Ben Levine

We heard previously that Matt Nagy should be in the mix for head coaching vacancies this offseason, and the Chiefs offensive coordinator is now being connected to definitive gigs. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the Saints are expected to show interest in the veteran coach.

[RELATED: Chiefs OC Matt Nagy Could Be 2025 HC Candidate]

After starting his coaching career with the Eagles, Nagy made a name for himself while guiding the Alex Smith iteration of Kansas City’s offense. Nagy ended up spending two years as the Chiefs offensive coordinator (plus an additional three as QBs coach) before getting a shot at the top job in Chicago.

Nagy hit the ground running during his first year as the Bears head coach in 2018, helping guide the squad to a 12-4 record before losing to the Eagles by one point in the Wild Card Round. The coach followed that up with two-straight underwhelming 8-8 showings, and the Bears had another one-and-done playoff appearance during the 2020 postseason. The team somewhat bottomed out in 2021, with the Bears finishing 6-11. That performance ended up spelling the end of Nagy’s tenure in Chicago, as the coach was fired following that campaign.

After being let go by the Bears, Nagy returned to Kansas City. He initially served as Patrick Mahomes QBs coach in 2022, and he was promoted back to offensive coordinator after Eric Bieniemy left for Washington ahead of the 2023 season. Nagy hasn’t been responsible for calling plays during his time in Kansas City, a factor that could work against him as he searches for another HC gig.

The Saints fired Dennis Allen back in November and promoted Darren Rizzi to interim head coach. Per Russini, Rizzi is also expected to get a shot at the full-time job, and even if the team goes in another direction, the coach is expected to stick around New Orleans in some capacity. Rizzi has served as the team’s special teams coordinator since 2019. Russini also mentions Mike McCarthy as a potential candidate for the Saints job if the coach isn’t retained by the Cowboys.

Mike Vrabel Rumored As Potential Raiders Frontrunner; Saints On Radar

December 30th, 2024 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the 2025 coaching carousel not viewed as especially deep, the chances of Mike Vrabel slipping through the cracks for a second straight year appear slim. Vrabel joins Lions HC Ben Johnson as the top candidates in this year’s pool, and multiple teams are being tied to the former Titans leader.

The Raiders have not fired Antonio Pierce, but that will be considered. If the team pulls the plug on Pierce after one season as full-time HC, Vrabel should be considered on the radar. Plenty around the NFL believe Vrabel would be the Las Vegas frontrunner if the team did fire Pierce, SI.com’s Albert Breer notes. Considering Vrabel and Tom Brady‘s past, it would not surprise if this became a landing spot to closely monitor.

For a minority owner, Brady appears set to hold substantial power in Vegas — both with regards to the team’s HC and QB searches — despite his role as a broadcaster. While Brady’s announcing gig could cause issues ahead of Super Bowl LIX, Mark Davis is prepared to lean on the all-time QB great during a pivotal offseason. Brady and Vrabel played together in New England for eight years, and Breer adds the ex-quarterback’s appearance at a Raiders practice late last season — when he was not yet a part-owner — signaled to some Vrabel would be on the team’s radar for the 2024 season.

As it turned out, no one hired Vrabel this year. Though, the Chargers are believed to have viewed him as their Jim Harbaugh backup plan. Vrabel, 49, closed out his consulting run with the Browns on Monday. His Cleveland contract expired, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, freeing him up for HC interviews before season’s end. Vrabel’s contract having this particular expiration date certainly points to the free agent coaching candidate wanting to explore an NFL return, and although a return to Ohio State surfaced recently, the former linebacker’s alma mater may well not have a job opening at season’s end.

Regardless, Breer adds Vrabel is leaving the Browns on good terms, as the sides separating now would allow Vrabel to conduct in-person interviews for HC positions before his competition. All coaches who are tied to other teams must wait until divisional-round week to begin meeting with teams, but unattached coaches can begin interviews for vacant jobs at any point. The Raiders do not have a vacancy presently, but other teams who do figure to be interested in Vrabel.

The Saints are one of three teams who can interview coaches now, having fired Dennis Allen weeks ago, and Breer adds Vrabel is on Mickey Loomis‘ radar. The 23rd-year GM is believed to be safe and free to run another coaching search. The Saints went with an in-house option to succeed Sean Payton, though the latter had not previously worked with Loomis when he was hired in 2006. Considering Allen’s struggles, Loomis casting a wider net this time around makes sense.

While interim HC Darren Rizzi is well-liked, it would be rather surprising if the Saints went with a second straight in-house promotion given the issues they have had since Payton left. Joe Brady having worked as a Payton assistant for two late-2010s seasons could be of note if the Saints prefer familiarity again, but the second-year Bills OC may have options as well. Lions DC Aaron Glenn, who coached the Saints’ DBs before heading to Detroit, is expected to factor into the team’s HC search prominently as well.

Darren Rizzi Aiming To Become Saints’ Full-Time Head Coach

December 23rd, 2024 at 11:20am CST by Adam La Rose

When Dennis Allen was fired in November, it came as little surprise that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi took over as head coach on an interim basis. As expected, the latter sees the team’s stretch run as a means of auditioning for the position on a full-time basis.

“It all depends on what the organization’s looking for,” Rizzi said when discussing the Saints’ HC search (via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell). “Sometimes when you go with the hot name or the hot coordinator, I don’t think that a lot of times owners or GMs take into account the things that they haven’t done. They haven’t worked with the players on the other side of the ball and they don’t have any experience with special teams.”

[RELATED: Tracking NFL’s 21st Century Interim HCs]

Indeed, Rizzi’s third phase experience makes him unique compared to many other head coaching candidates. For many staffers, the path to an opportunity to lead a team involves a track record of success on the defensive or (especially recently) offensive side of the ball. Rizzi has worked exclusively as a special teams coordinator at the NFL level, but he has served as a head coach in the past.

The 54-year-old coached New Haven from 1999-2001, and he also took charge of Rhode Island for the 2008 campaign. Those tenures came at the Division II and FCS levels, respectively, however, and other candidates with experience in higher-profile positions (including NFL gigs) will be available during the 2025 hiring cycle. The Saints are joined by the Jets and Bears so far in needing a full-time coach, and others will no doubt join them after the regular season ends.

New Orleans went 2-7 this year before Allen’s dismissal, making a run to the postseason all-but impossible for Rizzi. The team (which was officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday) has gone 3-2 since the coaching change despite dealing with numerous injuries on offense. Continued performances along the lines of those seen so far could help Rizzi’s case for taking on the full-time gig.

As he acknowledged, though, it will still be a challenge to get the posting for 2025. Rizzi interviewed with the Dolphins in 2019 before Brian Flores was ultimately hired, and he received another look in 2021 after Sean Payton departed the Saints (preceding Allen’s promotion to HC). A report from last month indicated Rizzi could be a strong contender to have the interim tag removed; it will be interesting to see if that winds up being the case once the season is over.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis Not On Hot Seat; Team Does Not Anticipate Rebuild

November 10th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Rory Parks

If he had his druthers, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis would not have fired head coach Dennis Allen. Owner Gayle Benson went around her longtime GM and handed Allen his walking papers last week, the second time this season that a team’s owner fired their head coach without input from their top personnel executive (Jets owner Woody Johnson fired Robert Saleh earlier this year and did not involve GM Joe Douglas in the decision).

That would ordinarily be a bad sign for the GM in question, and indeed, Douglas could be in his final days as a member of the Jets’ front office. However, Loomis is reportedly in no danger of losing his job, with Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post writing that Loomis is “bulletproof” as far as Benson is concerned.

“Mickey is going to be able to do whatever he wants,” another team’s GM told La Canfora. “Nothing has changed there.” 

Loomis has been in his post since 2002, and during that time, the Saints have compiled a 205-159 record and captured the first and only Super Bowl in franchise history. Of course, the team’s on-field success came with Drew Brees at quarterback, and while Loomis deserves credit for bringing the future Hall of Famer to New Orleans, the first three-plus seasons of the post-Brees era have not gone according to plan.

Now 3-7, the Saints are almost certainly going to miss the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year, and Loomis will be tasked with finding a permanent head coach for just the third time during his tenure. He hired Sean Payton in 2006 and recently navigated Payton’s decision to step down/briefly retire by trading Payton’s rights to the Broncos in exchange for a package fronted by a 2023 first-round pick. Allen, who had served as Payton’s defensive coordinator from 2015-21, was promoted to the HC post following his former boss’ departure.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi has a real chance to land the job on a full-time basis if the team shows life down the stretch, as La Canfora reports. Speculatively, Loomis may not have many options in that regard, as the team’s typically untenable cap situation and uncertain quarterback situation is unlikely to attract the top HC candidates in the upcoming cycle.

As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com details in an expansive piece that is well-worth a read for Saints fans in particular, New Orleans is projected to be about $63MM over the 2025 salary cap, $55MM worse than the next closest team. Due to Loomis’ extensive use of void years and restructures, there is no real relief to be found in releasing players, so it will be a challenge to become cap-compliant.

As even casual NFL observers know, this is a familiar refrain for the Saints, but while the team remained competitive amidst prior cap crunches due to Brees’ presence and the fact that Loomis hit on several draft classes, the general consensus is that the Saints’ immediate outlook is bleaker than it has been for some time.

In order to right the ship and usher in a new era of competitiveness, Fitzgerald proposes a series of maneuvers that begins with renegotiating QB Derek Carr’s current deal this offseason and then releasing the veteran signal-caller as a post-June 1 cut. While acknowledging that Carr’s future in New Orleans is unclear, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Saints are not planning a full rebuild.

Per Rapoport, the club believes its competitive window is still open, and that the two blowout wins it enjoyed to start the 2024 season reflect the roster’s upside when it is at full strength. Plus, the Saints have seen how long and unpredictable true overhauls can be, which reinforces their belief that a retooling – in Rapoport’s words, “keeping good players, moving on from those with upside-down value, and getting more good players” – is the best course of action.

That is why, despite receiving trade inquiries on a number of prominent players on the roster, Loomis’ only move at this year’s deadline was to deal Marshon Lattimore to the Commanders, which led to a notable return of draft capital. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, meanwhile, agrees that a teardown would come as a shock.

The retooling strategy is based on the belief that Loomis & Co. will ace the 2025 and subsequent drafts. He has done it before, and all signs point to his being given ample opportunity to do it again.

Saints Fire HC Dennis Allen

November 4th, 2024 at 10:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

After a seventh consecutive loss, the Saints are making a move on the sidelines. Head coach Dennis Allen has been fired, as first reported by Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

New Orleans started 2-0 in 2024, an encouraging sign for the team’s postseason outlook. Since then, however, little (if anything) has gone according to plan, with the offense suffering multiple injuries and the defense struggling to overcome a number of issues. On Sunday, the Saints lost to the Panthers in unwanted fashion. New Orleans outgained Carolina by a margin of over 150 yards while topping that figure on the ground and winning the turnover battle; over the past 20 years, no team had lost under those circumstances until yesterday (h/t ESPN’s Bill Barnwell).

No one contest is at the heart of any team’s decision to fire a coach, but in the wake of Week 9’s defeat today’s news comes as little surprise. Allen is meeting with the team now, Rapoport adds, and attention will soon turn to the question of who will take over the staff on an interim basis. On that note, Dianna Russini of The Athletic names special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as a candidate to watch.

The Saints have indeed now named Rizzi as interim coach. The 54-year-old has head coaching experience at the college level, compiling a record of 18-23 with stints at New Haven and Rhode Island. He has been in the NFL since 2010, serving as the Dolphins’ special teams coordinator for nine years while also holding the title of associate head coach for a pair of seasons. Rizzi has been with the Saints since 2019, and since 2022 he has also served as an assistant head coach. New Orleans current sits fifth in special teams DVOA, a rare instance of success in an otherwise disappointing campaign.

Allen’s first head coaching gig saw him take charge of the Raiders for the 2012 and ’13 seasons. Only four games into his third season at the helm, he was dismissed. That was followed by a lengthy stint on Sean Payton‘s Saints staff as the team’s defensive coordinator. Once Payton departed, Allen was promoted and given a second opportunity to lead a staff. It has now ended in very similar fashion to his Raiders tenure, with a midseason dismissal coming down in Year 3. This marks the first in-season coaching change for New Orleans since 1996, when the team canned Jim Mora midway through his 11th season.

In 2022, the Saints posted a 7-10 record, with a strong defensive showing being weighed down by mediocre offensive production. The subsequent offseason was highlighted by Derek Carr‘s free agent signing, a move aimed at providing the team with a stable solution under center in the post-Drew Brees era. The former Raiders Pro Bowler showed improvement down the stretch, and the Saints improved to 9-8. That mark was insufficient for a postseason berth, however, and more significant changes were made on offense in response.

Longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was replaced by Klint Kubiak during the 2024 offseason. The latter’s work in the run game in particular seemed to be on full display over the first two weeks of the year, but success on the ground or through the air has been hard to find since. Overall, New Orleans ranks 16th in total offense and 15th in scoring. The team’s defense – for many years a strength with Allen in place dating back to his time as DC – has regressed considerably, sitting 28th in yards allowed and 26th in scoring.

In the wake of those collective struggles, the Saints will move on in the hopes of sparking a turnaround in the second half of the season. Carr missed time but is now healthy, although New Orleans’ offensive line and receiving corps are both dealing with a number of notable absences. The team’s defense (including cornerback Marshon Lattimore) could become the subject of increased calls before tomorrow afternoon’s trade deadline. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirms, however, that a firesale should be considered unlikely even in the wake of this move.

Carr is owed a $30MM base salary next season, the third of his four-year contract. That figure is set to become guaranteed shortly after the start of the new league year in March, and with the Saints once again on track to face a myriad of cap issues his financial status will be worth watching closely. In addition to the team’s quarterback situation, a head coaching search will be a central storyline in 2025.

Latest On Saints’ Coaching Staff

February 23rd, 2022 at 3:06pm CST by Ben Levine

WEDNESDAY: Both will indeed become co-DCs for the Saints. Nielsen agreed to a two-year contract as New Orleans’ co-DC, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman tweets, while NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero notes Richard is ticketed to stay on as Saints secondary coach with the co-DC title added (Twitter link). Nielsen will remain the Saints’ D-line coach, and Pelissero adds special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is now an assistant head coach with the team.

The Saints also announced quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry is now the team’s passing-game coordinator. Curry has been with the Saints for seven years. Doug Marrone is on track to be the Saints’ offensive line coach, a role he held from 2006-08, when he was also New Orleans’ OC.

MONDAY: Ryan Nielsen and Kris Richard are getting promotions in New Orleans. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), the pair of Saints defensive assistants are taking on new roles. The duo could be promoted to co-defensive coordinators, although the reporter cautions that nothing has been set.

[RELATED: Saints To Keep Pete Carmichael As OC]

Richard made a name for himself with the Seahawks, working his way up from an assistant to defensive coordinator. The coach ended up spending three years in that role before getting canned following the 2017 campaign. Since that time, the 42-year-old has worked as the Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, and he joined the Saints as their defensive backs coach in 2021. Richard met with both the Ravens and Steelers about their DC vacancies last month

Nielsen has been with the Saints organization since 2017, and he earned a promotion to assistant head coach in 2021. Prior to his stint in New Orleans, the coach was in the collegiate ranks, including a stint as defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois. We heard recently that Nielsen was a candidate for the DC gig.

The Saints have met with multiple outside candidates, including Michael Wilhoite and Aubrey Pleasant. Meanwhile, Pete Carmichael will be sticking around as offensive coordinator on Dennis Allen’s staff.

2022 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker

February 6th, 2022 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Last year, seven NFL teams opted to make a head coaching change. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints created nine full-time vacancies available this year.

Listed below are the head coaching candidates that have been linked to each of the teams with vacancies, along with their current status. If and when other teams decide to make head coaching changes, they’ll be added to this list. Here is the current breakdown:

Updated 2-7-22 (1:45pm CT)

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Coaching Rumors: Saints, Texans, McDaniel, Giants, Broncos

February 6th, 2022 at 8:12pm CST by Ely Allen

The Saints began their cycle of head coaching interviews this week, conducting meetings with the following candidates: former Eagles’ head coach Doug Pederson (1/30; hired by Jaguars), former Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores (2/1), Lions’ defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn (2/2), their current special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi (2/3), their current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen (2/4), and Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy (2/6).

New Orleans also requested permission to interview Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. There were some early reports that permission had been granted, but that hasn’t been confirmed and nothing has been scheduled, as of yet. ESPN’s Saints’ reporter Mike Triplett also mentioned that current offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was offered an opportunity to interview for the position, but Carmichael declined. Despite being a part of Sean Payton‘s staff since Payton’s tenure in New Orleans began back in 2006, it appears Carmichael has no interest in running the show in the Big Easy. Whether he has retirement or another destination in mind or he is just comfortable in his role, Carmichael will not be the Saints’ next head coach.

Here are a few more notes from the ongoing coaching searches and staff changes throughout the NFL, starting with the other head coaching vacancy:

  • Houston recently narrowed their list of head coaching candidates down to three: Brian Flores, former quarterback Josh McCown, and Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Well, according to USA Today’s Josina Anderson, the Texans are now down to two candidates, with Gannon being informed Saturday that he will not be receiving the head coaching position, leaving Flores and McCown as the two remaining names.
  • New Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel reportedly has interest in holding on to some of the defensive assistants currently under contract in Miami, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. This includes current defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, who followed Flores to Miami from New England. The lack of staff turnover would be a positive for a defensive unit that played well during the team’s seven-game win-streak in the back half of the season.
  • The Giants were able to add a piece to Brian Daboll‘s new staff while missing out on another today. ESPN’s Jordan Raanan tweeted out that Andy Bischoff will become the Giants’ new tight ends coach. Bischoff followed David Culley from Baltimore to Houston and will make the lateral move over from the Texans with their head coaching position still in the air. Unfortunately, the Giants did not get their running backs coach, as Bruce Feldman of The Athletic tweeted out that Deland McCullough has turned down Daboll’s offer, choosing instead to remain the running backs coach at Notre Dame, believing it gives him the best opportunity to eventually become a head coach.
  • New Broncos’ head coach Nathaniel Hackett is also looking to fill out his staff. The Broncos are planning to interview Jon Embree who most recently held the position of tight ends coach/assistant head coach in San Francisco. Embree parted ways with the Niners after being asked to take a 60 percent pay cut after San Francisco’s NFC Championship loss. The man who has coached George Kittle since he was drafted in 2017 would be a nice addition to Hackett’s system.
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