With the NFL's 2025 head coaching cycle coming to a close, there's still one more opening that's yet to be filled: the New Orleans Saints.
After firing Dennis Allen following a 2-7 start to their season, New Orleans leaned on interim head coach Darren Rizzi (who was the special teams coordinator and assistant coach prior to that) to lead the way for the remainder of the campaign. They're now reportedly down to two candidates to fill the role following Mike McCarthy's withdrawal from the race on Tuesday.
According of Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Saints have "no plans to interview anyone else," for the opening and are down to candidates: New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Underhill also shared that Moore is the leader in the clubhouse:
"I feel like the last person to make a great impression was Kellen Moore," he explained from the bleachers of the 2025 Senior Bowl. "And it feels like that's just kind of going to be where this thing goes. The Saints haven't made a decision, nobody's agreed to anything, I don't even think a contract's been offered or anything like that at this point—but it feels like there's reciprocated interest there and I'm kind of thinking that's where it's gonna end up," Underhill speculated.
Latest from the Senior Bowl pic.twitter.com/eyxqUbrRLI
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 29, 2025
Moore, 36, is in the middle of calling the Eagles' offense through their run to Super Bowl LIX and would be eligible to become New Orleans' head coach on February 10. After a six-year playing career, the former Boise State quarterback began coaching with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018 as their QBs coach. He then served as offensive coordinator from 2019 to '22 before moving on to the Los Angeles Chargers in the same position. This is his first season with Philadelphia.
As for Kafka—the proverbial No. 2 candidate—he just finished his third season as New York's offensive coordinator. The 37-year-old is also serving as the head coach of the National Team at the Senior Bowl.
Dolphins offensive coordinator Anthony Weaver also interviewed and was mentioned by ESPN as a remaining option, but was not mentioned by Underhill.
Either way, it sounds like the Saints are getting an offensive-minded head coach to lead them in 2025 and (hopefully) beyond.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Saints Coaching Search Reportedly No Longer Accepting New Interviews.
