Saints reportedly fire a number of coaches, but Sean Payton likely will remain

After missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season — the first such stretch in Sean Payton's tenure as head coach — the New Orleans Saints shook up their coaching staff Thursday.

Alex Marvez of Sporting News first reported the Saints fired five assistants: assistant head coach/linebacker coach Joe Vitt, who served as interim head coach during Payton's 2012 "Bountygate" suspension; defensive line coach Bill Johnson, hired in 2009; special teams coordinator Greg McMahon, who spent nine seasons in that position and 11 total with the Saints; assistant special teams coach Stan Kwan, who was in his fourth season with the team and 26th in the NFL; and assistant/linebackers coach James Willis, who made his coaching debut in 2015.

 

The firings indicate Payton will remain in New Orleans, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

All five firings were either defensive or special teams coaches, as the Saints finished 31st in scoring defense and 27th in total defense in 2016. New Orleans ranked in the bottom five in scoring defense and bottom two of total defense in three of the four years prior to this season. The lone exception was 2013, when defensive coordinator Rob Ryan helped transform the Saints into a top-five unit in both categories.

New Orleans also finished 27th in special teams this season, according to Football Outsiders. The Saints' struggles in those two facets of the game wasted a stellar year from New Orleans' offense, which was second in scoring and first in total yardage, with Drew Brees completing 70.0 percent of his throws for 5,208 yards and 37 TDs (to 15 INTs). Running Back Mark Ingram added 1,043 yards rushing on 205 carries with 10 total TDs.