Doug Pederson, Brian Flores among four candidates included in Saints' head coach interviews this week

The Saints aren’t wasting any time finding Sean Payton’s replacement, and the list of candidates includes a Super Bowl-winning coach.

New Orleans interviewed former Eagles coach Doug Pederson on Sunday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. The Saints’ coaching search continues this week with plans to interview former Dolphins coach Brian Flores on Tuesday, current Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn on Wednesday and current defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on either Wednesday or Thursday, per Rapoport.

Pederson has not coached since the 2020 season, his last in Philadelphia before he and the Eagles agreed to part ways at the conclusion of the campaign. Prior to his departure, Pederson had built up plenty of goodwill in Philadelphia, leading the Eagles to a 13-3 finish in 2017 that included a three-win run through the postseason to the franchise’s first Super Bowl triumph. A product of the Andy Reid coaching tree, Pederson endeared himself to Eagles fans who’d never seen their team reach the mountaintop by proving he could pursue (and ultimately win) a title with not one, but two quarterbacks, and lead them through external doubt to football’s promised land.

Eventually, though, the magic dissipated, with a nightmarish 2020 season spelling the end of both Pederson’s and Carson Wentz’s time in Philadelphia. Pederson has spent the last year out of football, but has been a notable name in this hiring cycle, carrying with him a demonstrated ability to direct a football team toward serious Super Bowl contention, provided the talent is adequate.

Flores joined the coaching pool via a surprise firing that appeared to be the product of internal discord more than it was about on-field performance. Flores was seen as an up-and-coming head coach in Miami and led the Dolphins on an impressive in-season turnaround despite constant questions regarding his quarterback situation, nearly reaching the postseason after starting 2021 with a 1-7 record. Flores has been a hot candidate with a bright future throughout much of the cycle.

Glenn and Allen each have history in New Orleans. Glenn just completed his first season as a defensive coordinator in Detroit following five seasons spent working under Allen as the Saints’ defensive backs coach. Glenn’s ascension to head coach would be rapid, but not entirely surprising, considering this isn’t the first head-coaching opening for which he’s interviewed in this cycle.

Allen has head coaching experience, serving in the role for the then-Oakland Raiders from 2012-2014. Allen won eight combined games in his first two seasons while guiding a talent-poor Raiders squad before he was fired following an 0-4 start to the 2014 season. He’s since worked for the Saints as their defensive coordinator and overseen a steady transformation from one of the league’s worst defenses (31st in 2015, 27th in 2016) into one of its best units in recent years, landing in the top seven in total yards allowed per game in each of the last two seasons.

Though they have some significant cap gymnastics to perform to remedy their current salary situation, the Saints are positioned to contend for an NFC South crown in 2022, provided they can address quarterback (the only quarterbacks currently under contract are Payton favorite Taysom Hill and Ian Book). With Tom Brady’s retirement anticipated, the NFC South appears to be wide open, meaning the Saints are in the market for a coach who can step in and do the job well from day one. Such an opening could be attractive to veteran coaches looking for another shot at leading a team that isn’t going to include a massive rebuild.

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