The Falcons and Saints have one of the few rivalries in the NFL where there’s true hatred between the two, but we are well past the golden years of the rivalry with Matt Ryan and Drew Brees.
Each organization has had its own turndown since those signal callers parted ways with their respective franchise, and while there’s still disdain between the fans, there’s less between the teams because both are closer to the bottom of the league than the top.
However, this offseason has brought a bit of new life to the rivalry. The Saints hired Kellen Moore to be their next head coach, and he immediately took a jab at the Falcons.
“Certainly it wasn’t an easy decision, but if the Falcons are our biggest rival, then I already know that’s at least a few easy wins on my resumé already,” Moore said.
We, of course, know that the Eagles did lose to the Falcons early in the season, but that’s neither here nor there. Atlanta’s tight ends coach jabbed back too. According to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger denied a request from the Saints to interview for their offensive coordinator job, giving the Falcons’ rivals the middle finger.
Koger got his start with the Packers in 2019 but joined the Chargers in 2021 as their tight ends coach, helping Gerald Everett to his best seasons. Eventually, Los Angeles cleaned house to make way for Jim Harbaugh, leaving Koger to the wind.
He landed in Atlanta, tasked with helping Kyle Pitts regain the magic we saw in 2021 during his rookie campaign. It didn’t go as well as anyone hoped, though. Pitts only finished the season with 47 catches and 602 yards.
To make the entire situation even more comical, the Falcons tight end coach interviewed for the vacant offensive coordinator positions in Cleveland and Dallas, only to deny New Orleans’ request.
It’s nice to know someone still cares about this rivalry because some of the Falcons players could take a page out of Koger’s book.
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Photographer: Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire
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