At the start of the New Orleans Saints coaching search, former assistant coach and player Aaron Glenn first emerged as the top option to replace Dennis Allen. When Glenn took the New York Jets’ head-coaching job, NFL rumors pointed to Mike McCarthy becoming the next Saints coach. Now, the process has taken another turn with the NFL coaching carousel almost wrapped up.
As soon as McCarthy was let go by the Dallas Cowboys, many around the league believed he was going to land in New Orleans. He would bring stability to a franchise that desperately needed it and his ties to the Saints organization made him a natural pick.
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However, McCarthy pulled his name out of the Saints coaching search this week. A previous meeting with the club didn’t go well. It left the Saints, widely viewed as a job no one in the NFL wants, in a position where they had to begin pursuing backup plans for their original backup candidates.
McCarthy, Glenn and Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady were all off the table. With a majority of the other top NFL coaching candidates either hired or signed to contract extensions, New Orleans quickly had to pivot. Now, the only team without a head coach seems to have an emerging front-runner to take over.
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According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is now the favorite to become the next Saints head coach.
With Philadelphia playing in the Super Bowl, an official hire can’t be made until Monday, Feb. 10 at the earliest. However, since the Saints’ job is the only one left available, there’s no incentive for the team to rush its decision. For now, Moore is the favorite with Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver also in the mix for the job.
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What’s hurting the Saints coaching search isn’t just the team’s disastrous salary-cap situation, which will make being competitive in the next two years extremely difficult. It’s also the surfacing of NFL rumors that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wants to keep some control of the Saints coaching staff, keeping several people he has close relationships around in 2025.
It’s one of the many reasons why the vacancy in New Orleans was viewed as by far the worst opening available in 2025. If Moore is ultimately named the next Saints head coach, he will likely struggle to produce a winning record early in his first few seasons because of the issues around him. If that happens, the question becomes how patient the organization will be with a head coach who inherited a situation that was set up for failure.
