Chargers announce Saints assistant Michael Wilhoite as linebackers coach

The hits keep coming to the New Orleans Saints coaching staff, which lost Michael Wilhoite to the rebuilding Los Angeles Chargers. L.A. hired Wilhoite away to coach linebackers for first-year head coach Brandon Staley; he previously served as the Saints defensive assistant in 2020 and special teams assistant in 2019, so this is a big jump for him.

It’s also a return to the West Coast for Wilhoite, where his NFL career started with the San Francisco 49ers as a player back in 2011. He carved out a seven-year playing career with the 49ers and Seattle Seahawks before retiring after the 2017 season and transitioning to coaching, where he was hired in New Orleans to help Saints special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.

Wilhoite is the fourth member of the Saints coaching staff to leave for new opportunities this offseason — with more departures possible as organizations retool around the league. Previous losses include Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn, both hired by the Detroit Lions, as well as quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi, who will be joining Wilhoite with the Chargers.

So far, the only vacancy the Saints have filled is in the secondary, by adding widely-respected coach Kris Richard. It’ll be fascinating to see how New Orleans continues to reload its own coaching staff in the weeks ahead.

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