The Saints are expected to make changes to their coaching staff, and they are considering the addition of a big name to the offensive side.
Jeff Duncan of nola.com reports that the team has interest in reuniting Jon Gruden with Derek Carr. Gruden would not replace offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael but have a title such as senior offensive assistant.
Current Saints head coach Dennis Allen was added to Sean Payton’s staff in 2015 as senior defensive assistant and replaced Rob Ryan as the Saints’ defensive coordinator 10 months later.
Gruden coached Carr with the Raiders for 3 1/2 seasons before the team fired him in the middle of the 2021 season. It came after multiple leaks of emails he sent to former Commanders executive Bruce Allen while working for ESPN.
Gruden consulted with the Saints during the offseason program and visited training camp this summer.
According to Duncan, Gruden met with team officials and attended a team meeting the night before the Saints’ game against the Buccaneers in Week 17. He dined with staff, including General Manager Mickey Loomis, at a local restaurant.
Gruden, who won a Super Bowl with the Bucs, still has a home in Tampa.
Gruden has a pending lawsuit against the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell, arguing that the emails were used against him in an effort to harm his contractual and business interests.
Allen would not get into specifics about changes to the offensive coaching staff when asked Monday, but he said the team would “look at everything.”
“I’m not going to go into any of those details in terms of what changes will occur,” Allen said. “But there’s things that will have to be different.”