Will Clapp talks retirement, Saints coaching role

By Ross Jackson

Fresh off of what was a big week for the former LSU offensive lineman, Will Clapp joined After Further Review host Matt Moscona on 104.5 ESPN Baton Rouge for an exclusive interview to discuss his new foray into the NFL coaching ranks.

The New Orleans Saints 2018 seventh-round pick recently announced his retirement following an eight-year career in the pros. A native New Orleanian, Clapp spent the first four years with the Saints before departing for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022-23 and Buffalo Bills in 2024. He returned home to the Saints in 2025, but an unfortunate preseason Lisfranc injury shut down his year, sending Clapp to Injured Reserve (IR).

That injury played a large role in his decision to call it a career, but it also opened up new possibilities for his path forward, post-playing career. The opportunity has now led to him accepting a role as the Saints’ new offensive assistant.

“Another injury, another year on IR,” Clapp said. “It was a tough year, but the coaching deal, (head coach Kellen Moore, offensive line coach Brendan Nugent and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) gave me an opportunity to be as involved as I wanted to be and learn a bunch. I really loved what I did that year. Then, the opportunity came a couple weeks ago to interview and potentially join the staff and it all worked out.” 

“It was kind of a no-brainer off the joy I had having an inlook into the staff this past season helping out,” Clapp said

While going into coaching wasn’t necessarily a plan for Clapp throughout his early playing days, he saw the door open as he transitioned from young player to veteran presence on his teams. That growing desire was met with opportunity partway through the 2025 season. 

As Clapp worked with teammates in his player-coach role, getting to impart advice to young, aspiring players inspired him to think more seriously about coaching as a path forward. A conversation with his wife Lizzie may have been the sealing factor.

“My wife saw how much fun I was having with it,” he said. “Every day at practice you came to work with some of the younger guys. The guys that were kind of on similar paths that I was. Young guy, fighting to make the roster and I was sharing everything I could with them to help them prolong their careers and try to set them up with a good foundation. I told her, probably Week 8 or so, sometime in that time of the season, ‘Hey, if I ever got offered a coaching job, I think I’d take it. This is something I’m loving doing.’”

The eight-year lineman will now begin his next chapter as a part of the coaching staff on his hometown team, continuing his Louisiana storybook trajectory from New Orleans native, Brother Martin grad and LSU Tiger to retiring as a New Orleans Saints player and taking the offensive assistant role with the team.