Giants Secure Services of Saints’ Running Back Coach Joel Thomas
The New Orleans Saints are experiencing another departure from their offensive coaching staff as Running Back coach Joel Thomas is set to join the New York Giants in the same position, as announced by the Giants on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Saints had disclosed their separation from offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, along with the contract terminations of WR coach Kodi Burns and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell. Joel Thomas, who had drawn interest from various teams in recent years, had interviewed with the Giants late last week.
Joel Thomas, a former standout college running back at Idaho, transitioned to coaching after graduating in 1998, where he held the all-time records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns at Idaho. At 49, Thomas has been the running backs coach for the Saints since 2015, marking his sole NFL coaching position thus far. Before joining New Orleans, he served as a collegiate offensive assistant at Louisville, Idaho, Purdue, Washington, and Arkansas.
During his tenure with the Saints, Thomas played a key role in the success of running backs like Mark Ingram II, who achieved back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons and became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. Additionally, Thomas contributed to the development of Alvin Kamara, helping him evolve into one of the NFL’s most versatile offensive threats.
While the Saints experienced a decline in rushing production in 2023, ranking 21st with 102.5 yards per game and 31st with 3.6 yards per carry, Thomas maintained his reputation as one of the league’s highly regarded offensive assistants, a status he has held for several years.
