3 potential Saints' GM candidates and a wild card, if they move on from Mickey Loomis

Mickey Loomis is still the New Orleans Saints executive vice president and general manager, a post he has held since 2002. But in the wake of Saints' owner Gayle Benson's firing of head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, constant chatter has circled Loomis and his job status.

It was Loomis who promoted Allen to head coach from his Saints' defensive coordinator post, where he was consistently very good but was 8-28 as head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 2012-14. Allen then basically helped make the consistently contending and Super Bowl champion Saints (2009-10) under Sean Payton the new Raiders as he went 18-25 from 2022-24 after following Payton.

Loomis has a poor record as well as the Saints' GM when Payton wasn't his head coach and de facto GM. From 2002-05, the Saints were 28-36 with one 9-7 winning season, a pair of 8-8s and a 3-13 disaster after Hurricane Katrina with Loomis and head coach Jim Haslett. From 2022-24 post Payton, the Saints were 18-25. That's a Loomis record of 46-61.

Payton largely handled the draft and free agency in addition to the coaching. Loomis largely was a salary cap expert and administrator.

Should Benson make the move for a new GM, who would then hire the new coach, here are three hot, youngish candidates rising through the ranks. But first, let's take a quick look at a Hail Mary. That would be New Orleans native and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who won one Super Bowl each with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos and lost one as a Colt to the Saints in the 2009-10 season.

Manning, 48, has no general manager experience. He basically has been enjoying life and working on the side since his retirement as an NFL player in 2016 after winning Super Bowl 50 with Denver. He has become a TV commercial star while showing remarkable media talent on his ManningCasts during Monday Night Football.

But he knows football. And former Denver two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback John Elway had no previous front office experience when he became the Broncos' GM in 2011, and he went on to build the Super Bowl 50 champion with Manning.

If he wants it and devotes his time to it, Manning could probably be an excellent GM in New Orleans. But he would have to move his family from the Denver area that he loves. For years, the Manning family with patriarch Archie Manning have toyed with the idea of buying the Saints. Now might be the best time for that, which could pave the way for Peyton in charge. And he could bring in his newfound ManningCast friend - former Patriots coach Bill Belichick.

And, hey, he could still do commercials. At the moment, though, Manning is very happy in Denver and with what he is doing.

Now to the serious possible candidates to be the Saints' next GM.

3. Ray Agnew

Agnew, 56, is in his fourth year as the assistant general manager for the Detroit Lions, who are first in the NFC North at 7-1 after going 12-5 last year and reaching the NFC Championship Game. The former NFL defensive tackle who won Super Bowl XXXIV in the 1999-20 season and played with three other teams has been compared to legendary NFL executive Ozzie Newsome with the Browns and Ravens for his keen eye for talent. Agnew previously was director of pro personnel for the Rams from 2017-20.

2. Mike Borgonzi

Borgonzi, 44, is in his fourth season as the assistant general manager for the AFC West-leading Kansas City Chiefs (7-0) after directing football operations from 2018-20 and player personnel from 2015-17. Over that span, he has been part of two Super Bowl titles, three AFC crowns and seven AFC West titles. He would be a very well-rounded candidate as he has had a number of positions with the Chiefs since starting there in 2009.

1. Terrance Gray

Gray, 48, has been director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills since 2022 and interviewed for the Los Angeles Chargers GM post after last season and declined such an interview with New England. The Bills, currently 7-2 and atop the AFC East, have advanced in the playoffs every year since 2020 when they lost the AFC title game. Buffalo has been one of the league's best regular season teams since 2020 with records of 13-3, 11-6, 13-3 and 11-6 last season.

Gray first came to the Bills in 2017 and quickly rose to assistant director of player personnel in 2020. Before Buffalo, he was a scout for 11 seasons with Minnesota and worked three years in a variety of roles with the Chiefs.