The Saints are the last team standing in the head coaching market, but they appear to be locking in on their target.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is “in the driver’s seat” to secure the job, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, though no deal can become official until after Super Bowl 59.
New Orleans can take its time with all other head coaching vacancies filled, but it’s been a whirlwind of a search process for the franchise. Three candidates have taken themselves out of the running, leaving the Saints with a smaller pool than expected.
Here’s what you need to know about the rumors connecting Moore to the Saints.
MORE: Ranking the NFL’s new head coaching hires
Saints’ Kellen Moore rumors, explained
With rumors indicating Moore is likely to become the Saints’ next head coach, one of the rockier head coaching searches appears to be coming to an end.
A few candidates narrowed the Saints’ list on their own, as Mike McCarthy, Joe Brady, and Kliff Kingsbury all took their names out of the running at some point during the process.
That doesn’t necessarily mean Moore wouldn’t have been the Saints’ first choice. McCarthy “did not garner the interest from the Saints that he anticipated,” Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported.
The drop-outs left Moore and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver as the Saints’ top candidates, and Moore has more coordinator experience despite being so young. He’s spent six seasons as an offensive coordinator between three teams, regularly garnering head coaching interest over the years.
NFL DRAFT NEWS:
The Eagles’ offense found new life under Moore in 2024, even after losing Jason Kelce. Saquon Barkley put together one of the best running back seasons of all-time next to a stellar offensive line, and Jalen Hurts slashed his interception total from 15 to just five under Moore.
Moore’s football intelligence is widely regarded, dating back to his jump from player to coach in 2018. His leadership ability is more uncertain, as former teammate Lance Moore said the former quarterback was “a little bit reserved” during his career, but he believes Moore has “grown into” that role as someone who can command a room.
The Saints would be a project for Moore, requiring patience on both his end and the team’s end. With a salary cap situation that has been bleak for a number of years and no clear solution at quarterback outside of Derek Carr, New Orleans certainly didn’t have the most attractive opening on the market.
For that reason, it might make more sense for the Saints to go with a younger coach they can bring along slowly rather than a win-now candidate like McCarthy.
MORE: What’s next for Mike McCarthy?
How old Kellen Moore?
Moore is 36. Set to turn 37 in July, he would be the NFL’s youngest active head coach at just over a year younger than Seattle’s Mike Macdonald.
Kellen Moore coaching timeline
- 2018, Cowboys (QBs coach)
- 2019-22, Cowboys (offensive coordinator)
- 2023, Chargers (offensive coordinator)
- 2024, Eagles (offensive coordinator)
Moore was a quick riser through the coaching ranks, going from a player with the Cowboys from 2015-17 to the team’s quarterbacks coach in 2018. He made the jump to offensive coordinator at just 31 in 2019 and lasted four years in the position before parting ways with Dallas.
Moore spent 2023 as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator but became available after L.A. cleaned house. Sirianni gave him the same role in Philadelphia after dismissing Brian Johnson, and Moore has helped lead a bit of an offensive revival with the Eagles to put his name back on the head coaching radar.
Before he entered the NFL, Moore was a record-setting quarterback at Boise State. He threw for 14,667 yards and 142 touchdowns in four seasons with the Broncos, finishing top-10 in Heisman Trophy voting three times and winning the Fiesta Bowl in 2009.
