The New Orleans Saints will have an interim coach for the 2012 season, but it is unlikely that Bill Parcells will take the position.
According to ESPN, Parcells will probably stay retired rather than take over for the suspended Sean Payton.
Payton's year-long suspension for his role in the Saints' bounty program goes into effect on April 16. The NFL on Monday upheld the penalty for Payton, as well as the eight-game ban for general manager Mickey Loomis and the six-game suspension for assistant head coach Joe Vitt.
Loomis and Vitt will begin their suspensions at the conclusion of the preseason this summer. Despite the impending six-game ban, Vitt has been rumored to be among the candidates for interim head coach.
The ESPN report indicated that Vitt could take over for the club's offseason program and guide the team during the exhibition schedule, then turn things over to another assistant or group of assistants for the first six games of the 2012 campaign.
Other possible candidates for the interim head coaching position reportedly include Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael and new defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was fired in January after three years as head coach of the St. Louis Rams.
Speculation grew late last month that Parcells might be lured into the interim position for Payton, who was a key member of the two-time Super Bowl winner's staff with the Dallas Cowboys from 2003-05 before becoming head coach of the Saints in 2006.
Parcells last roamed an NFL sideline in 2006 with the Cowboys. He spent four seasons in Dallas after coaching three years with the New York Jets and four with New England. His greatest success came during eight seasons with the New York Giants, leading the franchise to Super Bowl titles after the 1986 and 1990 seasons.
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