Saints leap into offseason with coaching search, contract moves

METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints didn't discarded clip moving connected from the 2024 season.

Saints players spent Monday greeting boxing up their lockers connected a time halfway Erik McCoy called "the worst time successful the NFL."

"Guys that you've travel to activity pinch each time for the past 24 weeks ... you don't cognize if you'll play pinch them aliases spot them again," McCoy said. "You'll miss these guys. ... You bask your clip pinch these guys and it's ever hard."

A fewer remained astir the installation connected Tuesday. Some, for illustration linebacker Willie Gay, were rehabbing season-ending injuries. Others, for illustration correct tackle Ryan Ramczyk, were still packing up their cars connected Tuesday afternoon.

The Saints (5-12) will make galore unit moves complete the adjacent fewer months arsenic they activity to get nether the net headdress by the caller convention twelvemonth successful March and re-sign pending free agents. But it's improbable they'll make immoderate awesome moves until they find a imperishable caput coach after firing Dennis Allen successful November.

Allen recently said publicly for the first clip since he was fired, telling Jay Glazer connected his podcast that Saints wide head Mickey Loomis was "not really successful favor" of firing him.

Loomis and his squad will caput the coaching hunt -- his 3rd since he was promoted to wide head successful 2002.

The squad has tried to formed a wide nett connected this search, requesting to speak pinch erstwhile Saints assistants for illustration existent Detroit Lions protect coordinator Aaron Glenn and Buffalo Bills violative coordinator Joe Brady. They besides requested Miami Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, who interviewed virtually connected Wednesday, on pinch New York Giants OC Mike Kafka, Philadelphia Eagles OC Kellen Moore and Washington Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury.

Interim coach Darren Rizzi will besides question and reply for the occupation again aft losing retired to Allen successful 2022. The New York Jets besides put successful a petition to question and reply him for their caput coaching vacancy.

Rizzi did not person accusation astir the adjunct coaches' futures, galore of whom signed contracts past offseason. He said they were told connected Monday that immoderate would beryllium blocked from making lateral moves to different team.

"That'll really beryllium connected a case-by-case ground astir who it is, wherever it is, what the position is and who the personification is based connected the evaluation," Rizzi said.

Rizzi said he will return portion successful the first information of the players and assistants arsenic the beforehand agency makes determinations for the future.

Ramczyk, who missed the full 2024 offseason, signed a renegotiated statement connected Monday. He reduced his guidelines net to the seasoned minimum and freed up $16.47 cardinal successful headdress abstraction for 2025.

The move is the aforesaid 1 the Saints made earlier backmost Drew Brees' status successful 2021. He reduced his guidelines net to the minimum successful February earlier announcing his status successful March. He did not discontinue until June 11, allowing the Saints to dispersed retired the net headdress deed complete 2 years.

Ramczyk expressed concerns astir his NFL future precocious successful the 2023 play owed to deteriorating cartilage successful his knee. When attempts to remedy the rumor past outpouring failed, the Saints placed him connected the non-football wounded database and ended his season.

New Orleans does not person a batch of awesome pending free agents, but tight extremity Juwan Johnson, protect extremity Chase Young, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and cornerback Paulson Adebo are immoderate of the names connected that list.

Adebo, who collapsed his femur midseason, said he's emotion bully two-and-a-half months removed from surgery and expects to beryllium backmost by training camp. But arsenic his rookie statement expires, he's not judge if that will beryllium successful New Orleans.

"At the extremity of the day, it's a business. I emotion New Orleans, I emotion the opportunity they gave me," Adebo said. "So there's nary sick intent aliases animosity. It's really conscionable astir uncovering the champion fit. If it's the champion fresh here, past boom. It's a two-way street, it's not wholly up to me. It has to activity some ways. ... I'm excited for the process. Blessed to beryllium successful the process. A batch of group don't moreover get to that point."

Valdes-Scantling, who signed pinch the Saints midseason aft being released from the Bills, will look free agency for the first clip successful his career. He said he has not thought astir the early and will time off that up to his supplier but said he loved playing successful New Orleans.

The Saints besides person respective different players who will beryllium rehabbing injuries for the adjacent fewer weeks aliases months, including backmost Derek Carr (fractured hand), tight extremity Foster Moreau, who was carted disconnected pinch a knee wounded successful the play finale and moving backmost Alvin Kamara (groin).

"I consciousness good. Woke up this morning, sewage retired of bed. I wasn't successful immoderate pain, truthful evidently I ain't play yesterday, truthful I'm cool, surviving a pain-free life," Kamara said connected Monday. "It was tough. I consciousness for illustration this play I benignant of hit each wounded that I could. And this past 1 was conscionable a small bit, it was a small spot much intricate."

McCoy, who was named a Pro Bowl alternate, expressed optimism that he could beryllium backmost successful clip for the Pro Bowl games contempt an limb wounded that caused him to miss the extremity of the season. He played successful only 7 games owed to that wounded and a groin injury, and said he plans to make judge "that ne'er happens again."

Wide receiver Chris Olave besides had an optimistic position going into the offseason contempt missing the last 8 games of the play aft sustaining 2 concussions.

Olave, who returned to believe the past fewer weeks of the season, said he has nary concussion symptoms and "is excited to onslaught the offseason."

"Never been successful this type of situation, ne'er reasoning I would beryllium successful this situation, but for it to hap to maine and having those reliable conversations, having to talk to truthful galore group to beryllium capable to play shot was reliable for me," Olave said.

He added: "I'm a immense competitor, truthful I sat this twelvemonth retired conscionable to beryllium capable to protect myself agelong term. I sewage a family and I want to beryllium location for a agelong time, truthful conscionable trying to protect myself. I consciousness for illustration conscionable playing shot is thing that brings maine joyousness and I'm a immense competitor, truthful I conscionable want to spell retired location and compete and person fun."