Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is interviewing Sunday in New Orleans for the Saints’ head coaching job.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 5, 2022
Here we go: the New Orleans Saints are flying in Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for an interview in New Orleans on Sunday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports, with Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan adding that Bieniemy is the sixth and final candidate to meet with the Saints for the open head coaching job. The opportunity to run his own team and replace Sean Payton is big for Bieniemy, who has been passed over by many other teams in recent years.
The Saints met with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Friday, meaning Bieniemy needs to make a really great impression to unseat the favorite for the job. Hiring Allen would preserve a lot of continuity on the coaching staff — and it helps that he got a vote of support from Sean Payton during his outro press conference — so it’s up to Bieniemy to show New Orleans how he can steer the team into a new and positive direction.
It’s been a surprisingly thorough search for Payton’s successor. The Saints have met with candidates who have head coaching experience (like Allen, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores, and ex-Eagles coach Doug Pederson) as well as up-and-comers looking to make their mark on the NFL (such as Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi and Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn).
The team also shared mutual interest with former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll before he took the Giants gig, while Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich didn’t interview with them after receiving permission from Tampa Bay. Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. declined an invitation to interview for the job. Of the nine candidates the Saints have considered, five have backgrounds on offense and three focus on defense, with a special teams coach also in the mix. Four of the coaches are minority candidates.
So it’s not like the Saints have just gone through the motions, checked off boxes, and quickly satisfied the Rooney Rule. They’ve lined up their best options and given each coach a fair opportunity to win them over. Hopefully it results in them hiring the right candidate, and it just might be Bieniemy. While Allen is still widely considered the front-runner, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter that Glenn made a strong impression, and that Glenn and Bieniemy are each “well-positioned” to earn the job. We’ll see how it shakes out in the days ahead.
