Todd Grantham will return to Georgia for his fourth season as defensive coordinator. Friday night, Grantham announced in a statement he’s withdrawing his name from consideration for the same position with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
“I want to thank Sean Payton and the New Orleans Saints organization for the opportunity to interview and get to know them. They are a first class organization in every respect. As I said Wednesday, Georgia is a great place, my family loves it here, and I do as well. This is where our heart is and today I have withdrawn my name from consideration for the position with the Saints. I’m excited to start preparations for another season and along with the rest of our defensive staff look forward to coaching some really good returning players as well as developing some very talented newcomers.”
Grantham had interviewed the Saints on Thursday. New Orleans is expected to hire former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.
As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out, don’t expect this to be Grantham’s last flirtation with the NFL. He has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave for an NFL coordinator’s job or a head coaching job in college without penalty. The Philadelphia Eagles had also reportedly expressed interest in Grantham this offseason.
