Saints poach Super Bowl-caliber offensive mind to take over as OC

The New Orleans Saints missed out on making the playoffs, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South championship over them. When looking at the team's 2023 season, the offense didn't live up to its potential after signing quarterback Derek Carr. As a result of missing the playoffs, head coach Dennis Allen, who was spared and given another season, fired offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael.

Saints fans wondered who the team would bring in to replace Carmichael. The team interviewed the likes of Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson, who went to the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. However, after interviewing multiple candidates, the Saints decided to hire from a coaching staff of a Super Bowl 58 competitor.

According to NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport, the Saints are hiring San Francisco 49ers pass game coordinator Klint Kubiak to be their new offensive coordinator.

Saints hire 49ers pass game coordinator Klint Kubiak as new offensive coordinator

Hiring someone from the 49ers offensive coaching staff is never a bad strategy.

Kubiak is the son of former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak. Gary was the head coach for the Houston Texans for eight seasons (2006-13) and the Denver Broncos (2015-16), where he won Super Bowl 50. Klint was an offensive assistant for Gary for the Broncos in the 2016 season.

Klint Kubiak received his first offensive coordinator gig with the Minnesota Vikings in 2021 after serving as quarterbacks coach in 2019 and 2020. In the 2021 season, the Vikings averaged 362.8 total yards of offense (12th-highest in the NFL) and 25.0 points (14th-highest in the NFL) per game. Minnesota went 8-9 that year and missed out on the playoffs. Head coach Mike Zimmer was fired, and Kubiak didn't return to the organization after the hiring of Kevin O'Connell.

In 2022, Klint returned to the Broncos as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator. With the team's struggles under head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Kubiak also received some play-calling duties late in the season. The Broncos averaged 211.3 passing yards per game, which ranked 19th in the NFL.

Klint joined Shanahan's coaching staff this past season as the passing game coordinator. The 49ers averaged 257.9 passing yards per game, which ranked fourth-highest in the NFL. Quarterback Brock Purdy had a strong regular season working with Kubiak, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions on a 69.4 completion percentage.

The Saints are looking to get the most out of their offense, which features some big pieces like wide receiver Chris Olave and running back Alvin Kamara. It will, of course, all depend on how Carr bounces back from what was a disappointing 2023 campaign. Considering how well Purdy played in his first full season as a 49ers starter, Saints fans have to feel good about the decision of the Saints to bring in Klint Kubiak to coach up the offense.