Report: Saints Lose RB Coach Joel Thomas to Giants
Another member of the offensive coaching staff for the New Orleans Saints is departing. The New York Giants have announced on Tuesday that running back coach Joel Thomas is relocating from New Orleans to take over the same role.
The Saints fired offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, wide receivers coach Kodi Burns, and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell earlier on Tuesday. The Giants interviewed Thomas late last week; he had garnered interest from teams across the league in recent years.
Prior to his career as a coach, Thomas was a successful running back at the University of Idaho. He had the most career rushing yards and touchdowns for Idaho State when he graduated in 1998.
Thomas, who is 49 years old, has coached the running backs for the Saints since 2015. It’s been his sole NFL coaching post to this day. His collegiate coaching experience includes stops at Arkansas, Purdue, Washington, and Louisville, as well as Idaho and Purdue. He then joined New Orleans.
After Thomas signed with the Saints, Mark Ingram II became the team’s all-time best rusher with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Alvin Kamara became one of the top offensive threats in the NFL, and Thomas was a part of that process.
In 2023, the Saints dipped to 21st in rushing production (102.5 yards per game), with their 3.6 per carry ranking 31st in the NFL. Despite the decline in production, Thomas has still been one of the league’s most recognized offensive coordinators for numerous years.
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