Saints GM Mickey Loomis says he isn't close to stepping down and he envisions a quick turnaround

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is showing no interest in stepping down and no lack of confidence in his ability to find the right coach to hasten the end of New Orleans' four-year playoff drought.

“You can’t ignore the results. But you also have to look beyond the results sometimes and understand the reasons behind the symptoms,” Loomis said during a media briefing at Saints headquarters on Monday. “Some are in our control. Some aren’t.”

Plagued by significant injuries to prominent starters — including quarterback Derek Carr, versatile tight end Taysom Hill, top receiver Chris Olave, top running back Alvin Kamara, center Erik McCoy and starting cornerback Paulson Adebo — the Saints went 5-12 this season. That was their worst record since going 3-13 in 2005, when the team was displaced from New Orleans for an entire season because of Hurricane Katrina, which flooded most of the city and damaged the Superdome.

“We have to do the best job we can with the things that are in our control. And we have to understand the things that aren’t,” Loomis said. “I know nobody wants to hear this, but this injury thing was a big deal this year — a really big deal prevented us from winning games.”

Loomis largely declined to discuss specific coaching candidates, but one of them is sure to include Mike McCarthy, who won't return as the Dallas Cowboys' coach next season — and was the Saints' offensive coordinator during Loomis' early years as general manager.

The Saints also have had preliminary video conference interviews with Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi, who went 3-5 following third-year coach Dennis Allen's firing on Nov. 4, was expected to get an interview, as was Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

While Loomis deflected most questions about coaching candidates, he did speak to the performance of Rizzi, who went 3-1 when Carr played and 0-4 when the QB sat out the season's final four weeks with a broken left hand.

Kamara missed the final three games and McCoy missed the last two after missing eight games earlier in the season.

Rizzi "did a really good job under some really tough circumstances,” Loomis said.

Those who thought New Orleans would struggle to overcome the departures of former coach Sean Payton and franchise all-time leading passer Drew Brees — who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title, in the 2009 season — have been proven correct.

Brees retired after the 2020 season and Payton stepped away after 2021 before returning to coaching in 2023 with the Denver Broncos (who made the playoffs this season for the first time since 2015 ).

The Saints are now looking for a new head coach just three years after hiring Payton's successor. But it sounds like they won't be in the market for a new general manager any time soon.

“I have for a passion for the sport. I have a passion for the Saints, a passion for all of it,” the 68-year-old Loomis said. "I feel like I’ve got all my faculties.

“If I ever felt like my acumen or my ability to think and ability to do the things necessary in this job were waning, I’d be the first guy to say, ‘Hey, wait a minute,’ Loomis said. ”So, no, the term (retirement) is not on my mind. Getting back to the playoffs and winning football — that’s what’s on my mind."

Loomis said New Orleans' next coach won't necessarily have a history with the Saints, but he certainly doesn't see a past relationship with the club as a liability.

He noted that Payton in Denver and former Saints assistant Dan Campbell in Detroit have presided over two of the “most successful turnarounds in recent times.”

“Both of those staffs are pretty well connected to New Orleans,” Loomis said. “So, I’m not sure what the criticism would be.”

Loomis offered little about the future of the roster, saying he had yet to complete a comprehensive review of each player's performance.

He added that the new coach would have a say in who remains — including at quarterback.

But when asked about Carr, who went 5-5 as a starter this season, Loomis had only good things to say.

“I have a high level of confidence in Derek,” Loomis said, noting that Carr's quarterback rating (101.0), interception percentage (1.8) and yards per attempt (7.7) all would rank in or near the NFL's top 10 for the amount he played.

“When you don’t have your top two receivers and you don’t have that special weapon in Taysom Hill and we don’t have the middle portion of our offensive line and we have a rookie left tackle, that's some tough circumstances for a quarterback to deal with,” Loomis aid. “So, I think he’s done a lot of really good things.”

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Brett Martel, The Associated Press