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Scott Linehan arrives in New Orleans with 36 years of coaching experience, including 17 in the NFL. The Sunnyside, Wash. native was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams (2006-2008) and served as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys (2015-18), Detroit Lions (2009-13), Miami Dolphins (2005), and Minnesota Vikings (2002-04). Linehan has spent the past five seasons at the collegiate level, including stops at Montana (2024, offensive analyst), Missouri (2021, offensive analyst) and LSU (2020, passing game coordinator). Of his 36 years of coaching football, terms as an offensive coordinator or head coach make up 24 years on Linehan's resume.

Scott Linehan arrives in New Orleans with 36 years of coaching experience, including 17 in the NFL. The Sunnyside, Wash. native was the head coach of the St. Louis Rams (2006-2008) and served as the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys (2015-18), Detroit Lions (2009-13), Miami Dolphins (2005), and Minnesota Vikings (2002-04). Linehan has spent the past five seasons at the collegiate level, including stops at Montana (2024, offensive analyst), Missouri (2021, offensive analyst) and LSU (2020, passing game coordinator). Of his 36 years of coaching football, terms as an offensive coordinator or head coach make up 24 years on Linehan's resume.

In 2024, Linehan served as an offensive analyst for the University of Montana, helping the Grizzlies finish fourth in the Big Sky Conference in points per game (33.4). With his help, Montana improved in numerous offensive categories from the previous season, including points per game, rushing yards per game, rushing yards per attempt, passing yards per game, third down conversion pct. and fourth down conversion pct. The Grizzlies finished second in the conference in yards per carry (5.5) after averaging 4.2 yards per carry the year prior. Linehan worked on the Montana Staff with his son Mike, who serves as defensive line coach.

In 2021, Linehan served as an offensive analyst for Missouri. On the same staff as son Matt, who was an offensive graduate assistant working with the quarterbacks and wide receivers and is now offensive coordinate/quarterbacks at Idaho. The Tigers improved their win total and reached the Armed Forces Bowl. Running back Tyler Badie was a second-team All-American, rushing for 1,604 yards with 14 touchdowns, surpassing 200 rushing yards in five games.

In 2020, Linehan served as passing game coordinator for LSU. After multiple injuries at the quarterback position, Linehan tutored true freshman quarterback Max Johnson to take over the starting job over the final six games, going 88-for-150 (58.7 pct.) passing for 1,069 yards, eight touchdowns and only one interception. At wideout, fellow freshman Kayshon Boutte was a standout, catching 45 passes for 735 yards with five touchdowns. Boutte also set an LSU and Southeastern Conference record for receiving yards (308) in a single game in the Tigers' season finale victory over Ole Miss.

In 2018 in Dallas, Dak Prescott established career-highs in passing yards (3,885 - more than 200 greater than his club rookie record), attempts (526) and completions (356 - second in team history). Prescott, who was named to his second career Pro Bowl, helped lead Dallas to an NFC East Division Crown, Dallas' second in three years. In addition, Ezekiel Elliott earned his second Pro Bowl nomination and became the first Cowboys running back with 2,000 scrimmage yards in a season since 2014.

In 2017, Dallas' offense featured the 2016 NFL Rookie of the Year, Prescott and the league's 2016 rushing champ, Elliott. Linehan helped guide Prescott to become the first Dallas quarterback to throw for 3,000-plus yards (3,324) and 20-plus touchdowns (22) in each of his first two pro seasons. In ten games, Eliott rushed for 983 yards and seven scores, averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry. Jason Witten was named to his 11th Pro Bowl and became the team's all-time receiving yards leader. Dez Bryant also became the club's all-time receiving touchdown leader on the season, finishing the year with six. As a unit, the offense was second in the league in rushing (2,170), marking the first time since 1998-99 a Cowboys team had at least 2,000 rushing yards in consecutive seasons. Additionally, three offensive lineman again earned trips to the Pro Bowl - Tyron Smith (fifth), Travis Frederick and Zack Martin (four each).

Linehan opened the 2016 season with a rookie quarterback in Prescott, who became the fourth rookie quarterback to start a season opener in team history. Under Linehan, Elliott and Prescott went on to have the best rookie seasons at their respective positions in team history, while also ranking on the league's all-time charts for rookies. Prescott tied the most wins (13) by a rookie quarterback in league history, setting club rookie records for yards (3,667), touchdowns (23), at- tempts (459), completions (311), completion percentage (67.8) and passer rating (104.9 - an NFL record). On the ground, Elliott became only the fifth NFL rookie since the merger to lead the league in rushing (1,631 - third by an NFL rookie all-time), with a club rookie record seven 100-yard rushing games. Both earned a trip to the Pro Bowl to mark the first time in team history a rookie quarterback and rookie running back both made the all-star game. The offensive line led the way for the league's second ranked rushing attack (149.8 yards-per-game) as three of its charges earned Pro Bowl nods: Smith, Frederick and Martin. The line also earned the Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year award.

With an injury to Romo in 2015, Linehan employed four quarterbacks over the course of 16 games, with Brandon Weeden (three starts), Matt Cassel (seven) and Saints Head Coach Kellen Moore (two) trying to lead the offense. An injury to Bryant allowed Witten to lead the team for the eighth time in his career with 77 catches, and Terrance Williams had a team-high 840 receiving yards. The Cowboys rushing attack racked up 1,890 yards (ninth), with Darren McFadden leading all Cowboys running backs with 1,089 yards and a 4.6 average. Three Cowboys offensive linemen made the Pro Bowl: Smith, Frederick and Martin; as the group continued to be a dominant force for the team.

Linehan called an offense that helped the 2014 Cowboys to an NFL-best tying 12-4 record. Along the way, the team had three players lead the league and establish single-season club records as DeMarco Murray rushed for 1,845 yards and earned 2014 Offensive Player of the year honors, Bryant caught a league-best 16 touchdown passes and Tony Romo completed 69.9% of his passes and had a 113.2 quarterback rating. The Dallas offense as a whole was second in the league in rushing yards (2,354). For the season, the Dallas offense totaled 6,138 yards and 467 points, both second in a season in franchise history. The club had seven offensive players selected to the Pro Bowl, including two first-timers (Frederick and rookie Martin). Perennial Pro Bowler Witten earned his tenth trip, Romo made his fourth and Bryant, Murray and Smith each made their second. Martin was the only offensive rookie in the NFL in 2014 to make the Pro Bowl, the first rookie offensive lineman in team history to make the game, and was named to the AP All-Pro team - only the third rookie in club history to receive the honor.

For five seasons, Linehan served as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator (2009-13), and in 2013 his offense finished the season sixth in the NFL in total yards (6,274) and third in passing yards (4,482). Helping bolster those numbers was Calvin Johnson, who finished the season with 1,492 receiving yards - fourth in team history - including a club single-game record (second all-time in the NFL) 329 yards. Under Linehan's guidance, Johnson established the club record for yards in a season with 1,964 (2012) while also finishing 2011 third in team history with 1,681 yards. Over those same three seasons, Matthew Stafford took the top-three spots in team history for passing yards with 5,038 (2011), 4,967 (2012) and 4,650 (2013). From 2010-13, the Lions offense amassed 18,033 passing yards (second in the NFL) and 24,574 total yards (fourth).

In 2012, the offense set a club record with 6,540 yards (third in the league) and net passing yards 4,927 (second). In finishing third in total offense, it marked the highest finish for Detroit since 1997 (second).

Linehan's offense in 2011 scored 474 points to set a team record and finish fourth in the league. In addition to establishing the club record for passing yards in a season, Stafford threw a franchise-best 41 touchdowns while topping team all-time charts for completion percentage (63.5) and passer rating (97.2). His 5,000-yard season was only the fourth in NFL history.

In Linehan's second season in Detroit (2010), the Lions had the league's fourth-most improved offense, gaining 639 more yards than in 2009.

Upon arriving in Detroit (2009), Linehan helped Stafford finish his rookie campaign near the top of many franchise rookie passing record, placing first in touchdowns (13) and second in passing yards (2,267), completions (201) and completion percentage (54.1).

Prior to landing in Detroit, Linehan spent three seasons (2006-08) as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. Linehan helped establish St. Louis' rushing attack, utilizing Stephen Jackson, whose 346 carries in 2006 were the most by a Rams player in 20 seasons. Jackson's 1,528 rushing yards were third in the NFC while his 105 first downs and 2,334 all-purpose yards were tops in the NFL to earn his first career Pro Bowl selection. Marc Bulger flourished under Linehan's offense, passing for a career-best 4,301 in 2006 with 24 touchdowns (second in Rams history). Tory Holt and Isaac Bruce both finished 2006 with 1,000-plus yards and combined for 167 catches.

In 2005, Linehan was the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins, helping improve the total offensive output from 4,960 yards (29th) in 2004 to 5,198 (12th) in 2005.

Linehan made his NFL coaching debut in 2002 with the Minnesota Vikings where he was the club's offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach (2002-04). The Vikings finished 2002 fourth in team history (second at that point) with 6,192 yards, followed by 2003's mark of 6,294 yards, which was the club record at season's end. Linehan's 2003 number was trumped by his 2004 total of 6,339, which still stands as the franchise record. Overall in the three seasons from 2002-04, the Vikings finished second, first and fourth in the NFL in net yards per game. Both Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper excelled in Linehan's offense, and in 2002, Moss' 111 catches for 1,632 yards were a personal-best. Culpepper's 2004 season saw him make his second trip to the Pro Bowl while finishing with the then fourth-highest passer rating in league history (110.9) while leading the league with personal-bests in passing yards (4,717), yards-per-play (8.6) and touchdowns (39). After scoring 290 points in 2001, Linehan improved the club's figures to 390 (2002), 416 (2003) and 405 (2004).

Before coming to the NFL, Linehan coached collegiately for 13 years for teams that played in seven bowl games and won five conference titles. Five of Linehan's quarterbacks were drafted by NFL Teams - Chris Redman and Dave Ragone (Louisville) Brock Huard and Marques Tuiasosopo (Washington) and current Saints Offensive Coordinator Doug Nussmeier (Idaho).

Linehan was the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach at Louisville (1999-01), helping the school to three bowl berths and consecutive Conference USA championships - the first school in conference history to accomplish the feat. In each of his three seasons, one of his quarterbacks earned Conference Player of the Year honors.

Linehan spent five seasons at the University of Washington (1994-98), advancing to four bowl games and winning the 1995 Pac-10 title. He spent four seasons at his alma mater, Idaho, serving as wide receivers coach (1989-90) and offensive coordinator/ quarterbacks (1992-93). Sandwiched between his two stints at Idaho was a one-year stop as the quarterbacks coach for UNLV.

Linehan was a quarterback for College Football Hall of Fame Head Coach Dennis Erickson at the University of Idaho (1982-86), winning the Big Sky Championship in 1985 and earning Division I-AA playoff appearances three straight times (1984-86). He signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 1987 as a rookie free agent, but a shoulder injury ended his playing career.

In the Spring of 2017, Linehan was inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame. Linehan and his wife, Kristen, have three sons, Matthew, Michael and Marcus.

PLAYING CAREER: Idaho, 1982-86

COACHING CAREER: Sunset (Portland, Ore.) HS 1987-88; Idaho, 1989-90; UNLV, 1991; Idaho, 1992-93; University of Washington, 1994-98; Louisville, 1999-2001; Minnesota Vikings, 2002-04; Miami Dolphins, 2005; St. Louis Rams, 2006-08; Detroit Lions, 2009-13, Dallas Cowboys, 2014-18; LSU, 2020; Missouri, 2021; Montana, 2024; New Orleans Saints, 2025-.