Editing New Orleans Saints (section)

==== Mike Ditka years (1997–1999) ====
After the end of the 1996 season, ironically as Diliberto had suggested before Mora's resignation, former [[Chicago Bears]] coach [[Mike Ditka]] was hired to replace Mora.<ref name="q079">{{cite web | last=Trahan | first=Ken | title=New Orleans Saints Coaching History—Mike Ditka (1997-99) | website=Crescent City Sports | date=2020-04-19 | url=https://crescentcitysports.com/new-orleans-saints-coaching-history-mike-ditka-1997-99/ | access-date=2024-08-20}}</ref> Although this initially generated a lot of excitement among Saints fans, Ditka's tenure ended up being a failure. The Saints went 6–10 in their first two seasons under Ditka ([[1997 NFL season|1997]] and [[1998 NFL season|1998]]). During the [[1999 NFL draft]], Ditka traded all of his picks for that season, as well as the first-round and third-round picks for the following season, to the [[Washington Redskins]] in order to draft [[Texas Longhorns football|University of Texas]] [[Heisman Trophy]] running back [[Ricky Williams]] in the first round. Ditka and Williams had a mock wedding picture taken to commemorate the occasion. However, Ditka, most of his coaching staff, and general manager [[Bill Kuharich]] were fired at the end of the [[1999 NFL season|1999 season]] due to the club's [[1999 New Orleans Saints season|3–13 record]].<ref name="u968">{{cite web | title=Ditka, Kuharich fired by Saints | website=ESPN.com | date=1997-01-28 | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/2000/0103/266669.html | access-date=2024-08-20}}</ref>