Jets Rumors: Darren Rizzi to Interview for HC Job After Interim Stint with Saints

Darren Rizzi could be in line for a head coaching gig following his stint as interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints.

Per Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, the New York Jets have requested to interview Rizzi for their vacant head coach position. According to Schultz, Rizzi is also expected to interview for the Saints head coaching job.

Rizzi has coached at the NFL level since 2009, serving various roles for the Miami Dolphins from 2009 to 2018. He was hired as the Saints' special teams coordinator in 2019 and held that position until 2022 when he took on assistant head coaching duties as well.

New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen in November after the Saints lost their seventh consecutive game, dropping to 2-7 on the year. They promoted Rizzi to interim head coach for the remainder of the year, and he went 3-5 in the final eight games as New Orleans finished 5-12, its worst record since 2005.

The Jets, who fired head coach Robert Saleh in October after just five games, have already made progress in their coaching search, interviewing or requesting to interview a number of candidates.

The team completed an interview with former head coach Rex Ryan on Tuesday and interviewed Mike Vrabel for the position last week. New York also interviewed former Washington Commanders and Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera last Thursday.

Whoever ends up with the job in New York will have a tall task ahead of them. The Jets made it 15 consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance this year and are heading into an offseason that could see them part ways with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and potentially other key players. All that sets up plenty of work for the next leader of the team.