So here’s some more intrigue for the New Orleans Saints head coach search. ESPN’s Mike Triplett and Nola.com’s Amie Just reported Thursday evening that the Saints were in fact granted permission to interview with Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich concerning the opening — but no meeting has been scheduled yet with one of the first candidates the team requested to meet with, and it’s unclear if both parties will actually get time to speak with each other.
Leftwich has been entangled with the Jacksonville Jaguars’ staggeringly directionless head coach search. As Jacksonville’s top target and a fan-favorite former player, seen as the ideal mentor for promising young quarterback Trevor Lawrence, that looked like a slam dunk hire.
Instead, Leftwich has been going back and forth with the Jaguars for more than a week, and his patience with ownership’s waffling appears to be wearing thin. The Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud reported Thursday that Leftwich is expected to pull his name from consideration for the Jaguars job.
Of course, Tom Brady’s sudden decision to retire complicates things further. If Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians decides to follow his quarterback into retirement, Leftwich would be a natural successor in Tampa Bay. With so many moving parts involved and the Saints themselves working against a ticking clock, it’s possible that Leftwich never even speaks with New Orleans. Only time will tell, and we’re rapidly approaching the finish line.
