5 offseason moves the Saints must make to compete in 2025

It is likely not going to happen, unless Saints owner Gayle Benson suddenly wakes up and smells the chicory. But that doesn't mean it shouldn't happen.

The Saints need to ease out the NFL's longest-tenured general manager — Mickey Loomis — from a role that he has had since 2002. Dallas' Jerry Jones has been a de facto GM since 1989, but he's also the owner.

Limiting Loomis would be the best way to start a much-needed rebuild as the Saints (5-11) failed to reach the playoffs this season for the fourth straight season — the longest stretch since 2001-05. The new GM with some help from GM emeritus Loomis could then hire a new coach. Even if the Saints win Sunday, their record will be the worst since 3-13 in 2005, and that was partly induced by a disaster — Hurricane Katrina.

Interim coach Darren Rizzi, who takes a 3-4 record into the season finale at Tampa Bay (9-7) on Sunday, is not the answer and would be more of the same, which is the issue with Loomis. After that, the Saints need to rebuild an elderly defense, get a younger back who can be an Alvin Kamara, 29, in waiting for a year or two, and draft another offensive lineman or two.

1. Mickey Loomis' role must be deemphasized

New Orleans has had Mardi Gras parades that have not been around as long as Mickey Loomis, 69, who became GM going into the 2002 season.

It's time to move on. When one considers Loomis' record when he didn't have Sean Payton as head coach — and in fact, de facto general manager — his record is so bad that it is startling.

Loomis is 56-74 (.430 winning percentage) with no playoff appearances and no double-digit-win seasons as GM without Payton, which was 2002-05, 2012 during Payton's Bounty Gate suspension and 2021-24. With Payton as de facto GM from 2006-21 (minus 2012), Loomis was 152-89 (.631) as general manager with nine playoff appearances, seven playoff advances, seven NFC South titles, and the Super Bowl XLIV crown in the 2009-10 season.

Payton, meanwhile, has Denver (9-7) off to its best season since 2015 in just his second season and on the verge of the Broncos' first playoff appearance since 2015 as well. Clearly, he doesn't miss Loomis as Loomis misses him.

Now, Loomis did hire Payton, so he gets credit for that and for facilitating Payton's immense talent and basically stepping aside and letting him perform. Loomis focused on the salary cap under Payton, and the Saints have been in major salary cap trouble for years now. He's not even doing that well now.

"He needs to have a decreased role," former Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert, who is game analyst on the Saints radio network and talk show host on flagship WWL in New Orleans, said recently. "Let him go to the NFL meetings. He could still have a role, but they need somebody new."

Or perhaps Loomis could be shifted back to the NBA New Orleans Pelicans, where he served as executive vice president of basketball operations from 2012-19 as Benson owns that team, too, in a strange work model that is not working twofold. The Pels also had five losing seasons and six fourth-place or worse finishes over Loomis' span with just two playoff appearances. The Pelicans at the moment have not even surpassed the Saints' win total as they have the NBA's worst record at 5-29.

The Saints badly need a fresh start, and often those are best when they start at the top.

2. New head coach from outside organization needed

Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi started well after Dennis Allen's firing with a 20-17 win over rival Atlanta on Nov. 10 and beat Cleveland the next week, 35-14. But Rizzi's only other win was over the Giants, 14-11, and all three wins came over non-winning teams as Atlanta is 8-8, and Cleveland and New York are each 3-13. Last week, the Saints looked no different than the 2-7 Allen-coached club when the Saints lost to 3-12 Las Vegas, 25-10.

Loomis promoted from within when he elevated Allen — a long-time Sean Payton assistant and defensive coordinator — to the head coaching job after the 2021 season. Surely, he won't do that again. To Loomis' credit, he identified a rising, young offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in Sean Payton when they hired him before the 2006 season.

If Loomis makes the next hire, and unfortunately he probably will, he nevertheless deserves the benefit of the doubt as he is 1-1 in hires. Does he have one more trick in his bag?

On the other hand, Benson needs to realize that a hot, prospective new coach may feel more comfortable with a hot, rising new GM hiring him instead of Loomis as they would go in together.

3. Saints' defense is getting old

New Orleans badly needs young blood on all levels of its defense as some of its best players and top leaders are on their last wheels. Defensive end Cam Jordan has closed this season greatly, but he will be 36 on July 10. Middle linebacker Demario Davis is also still very good, but he will be 36 on Jan. 12. And safety Tyrann Mathieu, who can still do it, will be 33 on May 13.

The defense has held its own at times this season, but in the end, it is No. 30 of 32 teams in total yards allowed a game at 379 and in rushing yards allowed a game at 139.1. The pass defense is No. 27 with 239.9 given up a game.

4. An Alvin-Kamara-in-waiting

Running back Alvin Kamara, 29, proved all the doubters wrong this season with a career-high 950 rushing yards, and he is No. 8 in the NFL in total yards from scrimmage at 1,493. He stays in great shape year-round and is committed, but the Saints need a much better understudy when Kamara needs a blow or misses a game.

Kamara is likely to miss his third straight game Sunday with a groin injury as he did not practice on Thursday.

5. More offensive linemen

At the heart of the Saints' problems in 2024 were recurring injuries to the offensive line, particularly center Erik McCoy, the team's second-round pick in 2019 who missed most of the season with groin and elbow injuries. The Saints lost top tackle Ryan Ramczyk — a first-round pick in 2017 — in July when he went on injured reserve with a knee injury, and his career may be over as he has dealt with cartilage issues for three years now.

There are many positions the Saints could spend their first-round pick on, which at the moment would be the 10th selection. Don't waste it on a quarterback just yet as Derek Carr (also doubtful for Sunday with a broken hand) still has two years to go on his too-expensive contract. The offensive line may be the best bet in the first round and other rounds.