There isn’t a general manager across the NFL who has held that title longer than Mickey Loomis, who was named to that post with the New Orleans Saints way, way back in 2002. Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert retired earlier this offseason having held the job since 2000, so now it’s Loomis’ time at the top. And there’s quite a gap between him and the other G.M.’s in this league.
Eight long years separate Loomis from the next general manager on the list, with the Seattle Seahawks having hired John Schneider in 2010 — the Philadelphia Eagles promoted Howie Roseman to the job at the same time, though he was temporarily elbowed out of the role during Chip Kelly’s run as head coach. So Loomis doesn’t really have a real contemporary following Colbert’s retirement.
It’s important to recognize the variety of power structures inside the NFL, but we aren’t considering New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick (the team’s de facto general manager) or owners with personnel control like Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys), instead keeping focus on executives around the league who have held this specific job title since at least the 2019 season.
And Loomis has an impressive resume. Among his peers, only Schneider can claim more playoff wins (10, against Loomis’ 9) while just three of his counterparts have seen the teams they built go to multiple Super Bowls (including Schneider, Los Angeles Rams G.M. Les Snead, and Brett Veach with the Kansas City Chiefs). Much of that credit rightfully goes to Sean Payton, and more is thanks to Drew Brees and the many players to wear black and gold over the last two decades, but Loomis also deserves his due.
Just look at how many other teams are, well, rudderless. At least two general managers hired more recently than Loomis have yet to find their first playoff win, in Chris Grier (hired by the Miami Dolphins in 2016) and Joe Douglas (who took over the New York Jets in 2019), though we’ll give those hired since 2020 a mulligan. Los Angeles Chargers general manager Tom Telesco (hired in 2013) hasn’t seen his teams win a playoff game since 2018, while Steve Keim (brought on by the Arizona Cardinals in 2013, and bizarrely rewarded with an extension through 2027 earlier this year) has just one postseason victory to his name, and that was back in 2013.
It’s reassuring to see the Saints not settling for less like other franchises. They’ve put together a winning culture and have worked hard to maintain it, trusting Loomis and his team in the front office to bring the support Dennis Allen needs. Sure, they went along with Allen’s ill-advised push to recruit Deshaun Watson, but once that was in rearview New Orleans pulled out the stops to surround Jameis Winston with talent. They navigated a fraught salary cap situation to upgrade his receiving corps, reinforce depth in the trenches, and invest in local-hero team leaders. They’re always aggressive under Loomis’ guidance.
So what’s next? Precedent suggests Loomis is nearer to retirement than anything else, but it’ll be his decision to bow out once he’s ready. With Sean Payton stepping down after the 2021 season, it’s possible he wants to buy a couple of years for Allen to find his footing as the team’s new head coach before entering retirement himself. The Saints would likely prefer to promote one of Loomis’ top lieutenants (probably assistant G.M. and college scouting executive Jeff Ireland, or football administration vice president Khai Harley), as the Steelers did by going with an internal hire to replace Colbert with Omar Khan — coincidentally, a New Orleans native who once worked with Loomis in the Saints front office. It’s a good model, but it may be tricky to pull off with Ireland, Harley, and other New Orleans executives drawing attention from other teams.
Still, things are in good shape for the Saints. Loomis is great at his job, with ironclad support from team ownership, and they have an assortment of qualified candidates ready to replace him once he’s prepared to bow out on his own terms. It’s an enviable situation when you look at other setups around the NFL. With things settled in the Saints front office, it’s high time to shift attention towards training camp.
