The New Orleans Saints finished the 2024-25 season with a 5-12 record. It was their worst finish since 2005 and marked the fourth straight year without a postseason appearance. That's their longest stretch since a five-year span from 2001 to 2005.
Nevertheless, some prominent former Saints will have a major say in the teams that will ultimately participate in Super Bowl LIX.
The NFC Championship game will be Washington visiting the Philadelphia Eagles. On the AFC side, we'll see the Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Buffalo Bills. All four squads have former Saints that have helped them to success this year.
* Joe Brady, Off. coordinator
* Will Clapp, C/G
* Ronald Curry, WR coach
* Aaron Kromer, o-line coach
Brady is in his third season with Buffalo and second as their offensive coordinator. The 13-4 Bills ranked 10th in total offense and second in points scored this season.
Just 35, Brady was an offensive assistant with Sean Payton and the Saints in 2017 and 2018. From there, he was the offensive coordinator for a historically productive LSU offense in 2019 as they rolled to an undefeated national championship season.
Brady is currently in contention for the head coaching vacancy for the Saints. He's also interviewed with several other teams for the same position.
Clapp is completing his first season as a reserve lineman with the Bills. He's appeared in just two contests, starting one and playing 67 offensive snaps.
After a standout career at LSU, Clapp was a seventh-round choice in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Saints. He was with New Orleans until 2021, appearing in 34 contests with seven starts over four years.
Curry is also completing his first year with the Bills. Buffalo's passing attack ranked ninth in the league. Helped by MVP candidate in QB Josh Allen and Brady, Curry oversaw an inexperienced Bills receiving corps that saw a rapid development from young wideouts Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, and TE Dalton Kincaid.
An NFL wideout himself for seven years, Curry was an offensive assistant with the Saints from 2016 to 2023. Over those eight seasons, he'd have the roles of WR coach, QB coach, and passing game coordinator.
Kromer has been the offensive line coach with the Bills for the last three seasons, his second stint with the franchise. Buffalo ranked ninth in rushing production while allowing only 14 sacks of Allen this year.
One of the league's more respected position coaches, Kromer was also on the New Orleans staff from 2008 to 2012. He was the team's RB coach for his first season before assuming the role of Offensive Line coach.
A ridiculous witch hunt by the NFL commissioner in 2012 resulted in a yearlong suspension of Sean Payton. During the first six games of Payton's ''suspension'', Kromer also served as the Saints head coach. New Orleans went 2-4 over those contests.
Spagnuolo is arguably one of the top defensive coordinators in NFL history. He's in his sixth year in that role with Kansas City. In 2024, his Chiefs defense was fourth in points allowed and held top-10 rankings in every major defensive category.
Over a decorated 26-year NFL career, Spagnuolo has been a part of six conference championship teams and four Super Bowl champions. His defenses have often had great success with its attacking style and athleticism at all three levels.
When Roger Goodell's unfounded 2012 ''investigation'' resulted in the suspensions of Payton and DC Gregg Williams, Spagnuolo was brought in. He was with the Saints just that one year.
Under Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator, New Orleans finished 31st or last in total defense, points allowed, passing yards, rushing yards, and rushing average.
* Kliff Kingsbury, Off. coordinator
* Marshon Lattimore, CB
The 45-year-old Kingsbury has had a brilliant first year with Washington. Led by dynamic rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, Kingsbury's offense ranked seventh overall and fifth in points scored.
Once head coach for Texas Tech and the Arizona Cardinals, Kingsbury's name is again ascending among head coaching candidates. He's been linked to several potential openings, including with the New Orleans Saints.
If hired, it wouldn't be the first time Kingsbury was with the organization. He was a quarterback on the Saints practice squad in 2004 and saw extensive action during the 2005 preseason before being released.
A first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Lattimore was the 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Saints. Almost immediately, he became of the NFL's top shutdown corners.
Over his first seven years with New Orleans, Lattimore had 17 interceptions and broke up 101 passes. He routinely shut down the league's top wideouts in one-on-one assignments, allowing the Saints to be more aggressive and creative with their defensive schemes.
In early November, New Orleans traded Lattimore to Washington. In exchange for the best cornerback in franchise history, the Saints received third and fourth round picks in the 2025 draft.
* Zack Baun, LB
* Vic Fangio, Def. coordinator
* C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S
* Doug Nussmeier, QB coach
A third-round choice in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, Baun was never a fit in the New Orleans defensive scheme. He appeared in 62 games in four years for the Saints. However, he started only 14 times and played an average of only 16% of the defensive snaps per season.
Baun's last year with the Saints was his best. His interception, 2 sacks, and 8 QB pressures earned him a contract with the Eagles. Much to the dismay of New Orleans fans, he's fared much better in Philly.
Baun had 3.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss among 151 total tackles for the Eagles, also adding an interception and five forced fumbles. A square peg for a round hole in New Orleans, Philadelphia used Baun's limited range well enough to earn All-Pro honors.
One of the reasons why Baun had such a successful year is because Philadelphia's defense was run by one of the best defensive coaches in league history. The well-traveled Fangio, 66, is in his first year as the Eagles defensive coordinator.
Philadelphia was 14-3 this season. Their defense ranked 1st in total yardage allowed and second in points surrendered. The Eagles were the league's best against the pass while also owning top-5 rankings on third downs, in red zone efficiency, turnovers forced, and sacks recorded.
An NFL coach since 1986, Fangio has worked for 10 different teams over a 38-year stretch. His longest-tenured stop was with the New Orleans Saints, where he served as defensive coordinator from 1986 to 1994. Under Fangio, New Orleans annually had one of the NFL's best defensive units.
Most famously, Fangio oversaw and helped develop The Dome Patrol. The ferocious foursome of linebackers included two Hall of Famers in Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills, another that should be in the Hall of Fame in Pat Swilling, and an underrated Pro Bowler with Vaughan Johnson.
A fourth-round pick by the Saints in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Florida, Gardner-Johnson made an immediate impact as a rookie. He was with the Saints through the 2021 campaign as an important and versatile part of their defense.
Over four years with New Orleans, Gardner-Johnson had five interceptions, broke up 31 passes, recorded 3 sacks,, and had 15 tackles for loss among 161 total stops. A contract dispute during the 2022 preseason led to a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles. Gardner-Johnson's six interceptions with the Eagles in 2022 led the NFL.
After one year with Detroit, Gardner-Johnson returned to Philadelphia this past offseason. He led the Eagles with six interceptions and his 12 passes broken up were second on the team.
Nussmeier, 54, is completing his first season as QB coach for the Eagles. Philadelphia's passing attack ranked just 29th, but QB Jalen Hurts is looked at as one of the league's more versatile weapons at the position.
Prior to joining the Eagles, Nussmeier was on the offensive staff of the Chargers, Cowboys, and Rams in the NFL along Florida, Michigan, Alabama, Washington, Fresno State, and Michigan State in the collegiate ranks. He was also an NFL quarterback from 1994 to 1999.
Nussmeier was a 1994 fourth-round draft choice of the Saints out of Idaho. He was with the Saints until 1997. Nussmeier appeared in five games for New Orleans, starting one contest in 1996 and one in 1997, both losses. He had a 56.1% completion percentage for 455 yards with one touchdown pass and four interceptions.
Both conference championship games will be played next Sunday. Washington at Philadelphia will kick off at 3pm Eastern Time. The Bills at Chiefs will follow at 6:30pm. Super Bowl LIX will be on Sunday, February 9, in New Orleans.