Phillips, Johnson remain head coaches in newly branded UFL as Breakers end operations

Former New Orleans Saints coaches Wade Phillips and Curtis Johnson remain head coaches in the newly branded United Football League, which announced each team’s head coach for the 2024 season Monday.

The league is a consolidation of the XFL and USFL, reducing the number of teams to eight overall.

Phillips will coach the San Antonio Brahmas while Johnson will coach the Houston Roughnecks.

Johnson coached the USFL Houston Gamblers last season while Phillips served as head coach of the Houston Roughnecks.

Phillips served as defensive coordinator then Interim head coach of the Saints from 1981-85 before serving as Interim head coach in 1985.

Phillips went on to serve as head coach of Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans.

A New Orleans native, Johnson served as wide receivers coach from 2006-2011 with the Saints, returned as an offensive assistant from 2017-2020 and served as senior offensive assistant and wide receivers coach in 2021 under Sean Payton.

In between, Johnson was the head coach at Tulane from 2012-15.

The New Orleans Breakers, who played two years in the USFL, were contracted from the new alignment of the two leagues, having never set foot in New Orleans and without fanfare or real fan interest.