One-time Super Bowl champion head coach Mike McCarthy will not be back with the Dallas Cowboys, but he could land the vacant Saints job. First becoming a head coach with the Green Bay Packers back in 2006, McCarthy led Aaron Rodgers and company to a championship over the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2010 season. While he guided the team to multiple postseason appearances following their championship, they were unable to win it all and the Packers fired McCarthy following the 2018 season.
After spending the 2019 season out of football, McCarthy landed the Cowboys job and produced similar results to his time in Green Bay. While the team remained competitive in the regular season (2024’s injury-plagued results notwithstanding) they never got far in the playoffs. Now, with his contract set to expire, reports across the league indicate the Cowboys and McCarthy will part ways. While it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll land, Nick Underhill of New Orleans Football believes the Saints will make a strong push for the head coach.
I expect the Saints to be very interested if this contract expires https://t.co/N60U4mdhDB
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 13, 2025
Report: Saints “Very Interested” In Mike McCarthy As Head Coach
Mike McCarthy is the definition of a safe bet, which could be a selling point in the Saints search for a head coach. Since taking over the Packers in 2006, the longtime sideline staple has an impressive 174-112-2 career record, including an 11-11 record in the postseason. While most of those wins and losses came with either Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, or Dak Prescott under center, this sustained success shows McCarthy can command a locker room and get the most out of his players. In other words, the Saints won’t have a Jerod Mayo situation if they decide McCarthy is their next guy.
On the other hand, McCarthy’s inability to lead a deep playoff run is concerning. Winning the Super Bowl is difficult, but it’s considerably easier when you have a top-10 quarterback. With few exceptions, McCarthy has always carried an above-average starter, but he’s only made one Super Bowl in his 18 years as a head coach. Additionally, he hasn’t made it to a championship game since the 2016 season when his Packers lost in blowout fashion to the Atlanta Falcons. As an offensive-minded coach, McCarthy’s scheme isn’t the worst in the league, but he’s no Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay.
This is all one long way of saying that Mike McCarthy is one of the NFL’s best 32 coaches, but he’s not a top-five option by any stretch of the imagination. You could do worse than McCarthy, but could the Saints do better?
Other Candidates
As of this posting, the Saints have interviewed or are scheduled to interview Mike Kafka, Aaron Glenn, Joe Brady, Kellen Moore, David Shaw, Darren Rizzi, Anthony Weaver, and Kliff Kingsbury for the vacant head coach position. While any of these guys could surprise with a promising interview, it’s safe to assume that Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is the current frontrunner.
Glenn has done a remarkable job with the Lions, overcoming an absurd amount of injuries to lead one of the best defenses in football. This performance is impressive enough, but Glenn’s familiarity with the organization is also a positive. The former cornerback spent five years as the Saints defensive backs coach, so General Manager Mickey Loomis should know what he brings to the table. Being a head coach is astronomically more difficult than coaching defensive backs, but the Saints should have a decent idea of whether Glenn can handle the added responsibility.
If the Saints want a safe option, they’ll hire Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. However, if they want someone who might elevate this team to new heights, they’ll gamble on Glenn. McCarthy is mediocrity personified, and the Saints have had enough of that since Drew Brees retired. Glenn could thrive, fail, or just be ok, but it’s long past time New Orleans made a high-risk, high-reward move and dreamed big for the future.
Main Photo: Kevin Jairaj – USA Today Sports
