Saints request to interview Buccaneers OC Byron Leftwich for HC job
The NFL head-coaching vacancies are slowly but surely filling up. On Thursday morning alone, the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears hired new leaders in Nathaniel Hackett and Matt Eberflus respectively, while Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn informed teams that he's decided to stay in Dallas for at least one more season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were surprisingly eliminated in the NFC divisional-round last weekend against the Los Angeles Rams and now, their highly-coveted offensive coordinator is perhaps days or even hours away from finding new landing spot.
The Saints are in the market for a new head coach after longtime commander Sean Payton announced his retirement on Tuesday. Other candidates who have either interviewed or been contacted in reference to the New Orleans lead gig have included Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, among others.
Leftwich has been considered a favorite to be the next head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, but as of early Thursday afternoon, no deal had come to fruition. The former NFL quarterback was selected seventh overall during the 2003 NFL Draft and played the first four seasons of his career with Jacksonville, ending his time with the club fourth in Jaguars history in passing yards (9,042), passing touchdowns (51) and completions (789).
Leftwich spent the next six years as a backup and occasional starter for the Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2016, he joined the Arizona Cardinals as a coaching intern under his former offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh and Arizona, head coach Bruce Arians.
He was then promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2017 before becoming the interim offensive coordinator in 2018, although he was fired at the end of the season. When Arians became the head coach in Tampa Bay in early 2019, he brought Leftwich in as offensive coordinator.
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