BREAKING:Saints run the risk of losing out to rival Falcons for the top offensive coordinator candidate.

The quest for an offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints has just gotten a little more difficult. Out of the eight people the team interviewed, just two have accepted jobs elsewhere as of right now. It was beyond their control in both cases. One of them, Shane Waldron, agreed to take a position as offensive coordinator with the Chicago Bears, who will have a first-round pick and can quickly acquire USC quarterback Caleb Williams. After their offensive coordinator was hired by another team, Dan Pitcher, the other, continued to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Atlanta Falcons could now complicate things even further. Raheem Morris was hired by the Falcons on Thursday to be their new head coach. Zac Robinson, the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Los Angeles Rams, gets along well with the previous defensive coordinator. Robinson is now seen as the favorite to become the offensive coordinator for the Falcons. He has been a top contender throughout the league and ought to be toward the top of the Saints’ list.

In the league, preexisting relationships are highly valued, and this instance exemplifies that. Although the Falcons may consider other applicants, Robinson already seems like a lock for the job. There’s not much the Saints can do about it in the interim. This is beyond their control, much as the circumstances involving Pitcher and Waldron. Until he learns more about his status with the Falcons, Robinson is unlikely to accept any other offers alongside Morris. This won’t take as long as it did for New Orleans to choose a candidate or make an offer. It will all be Robinson’s decision in the end.

The Saints still have a ton of great alternatives on their interview list if the former Rams staff member decides to join Morris in Atlanta. Jerrod Johnson, the coach of the Houston Texans quarterbacks, and Klint Kubiak, the coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers passing game, are two of the greatest. Additionally, fresh Orleans can now begin adding fresh applicants to its roster. The offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers, Kellen Moore, has been granted liberty to look for other jobs. As of right now, it appears unlikely that Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson will take over as head coach. That indicates that his next move in his search for a new job will be to consider offensive coordinator roles. Both seem like good choices for the Saints to consider.