All signs are pointing to Kellen Moore landing as the next Saints head coach, it just can't happen for a while.
The team informed other candidates on Friday morning that no coaching decision would made until after the Super Bowl, according to a report from the NFL Network.
That timeline would indicate strongly that the Saints are locked in on the Eagles offensive coordinator as their next head coach, with NFL rules stipulation that they can have no additional contact with him until after the Super Bowl. Saints officials flew up to interview Moore on Monday with that meeting lasting into the early hours Tuesday morning.
The Saints had also interviewed interim head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, Giants OC Mike Kafka and Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver. If the team was intent on hiring any of those three coaches, that could happen at any point.
Moore would mark a significant hire for the Saints and a potential new direction, but also a familiar strategy. Moore, 36, has been an offensive coordinator for six seasons with three different teams and would be expected to help invigorate a Saints offensive attack that's seen diminishing returns since Sean Payton left following the 2021 season. It'd mirror a similar path that brought Payton to New Orleans in the first place. Like Moore, Payton had also served as an offensive coordinator and an assistant with the Cowboys.
"I’m a huge fan of Kellen," Cowboys color analyst Babe Laufenberg told WWL Radio this week. "You look at the numbers that his teams have put up, even shoot, the year he and Mike McCarthy parted ways ... they were 5th in the NFL in scoring that year, the year before they were 2nd in the NFL. This year in Philly they’re second in the NFL in points scored, so his offenses have always been good and I’ve always liked the way he approaches it."
Moore, who played quarterback in the NFL for six seasons, also served as offensive coordinator for the L.A. Chargers before joining the Eagles.
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Moore has reportedly already started working on a potential staff and once the hire is made there will likely be a flurry of moves to bring key pieces together. One likely option could be current Eagles QB coach Doug Nussmeier, a former Saints player whose son, Garrett, is currently the starting quarterback at LSU.
Saints GM Mickey Loomis has made it to clear to staffers that lateral interviews would not be blocked, in large part because the next head coach is expected to be building his own staff without interference. Former OC Klint Kubiak has taken the same job with the Seahawks, who are also interviewing Saints QB coach Andrew Janocko. Linebackers coach Michael Hodges has also landed with the Bengals, while RBs coach Derrick Foster is among others.
A handful of current Saints coaches were out at the Senior Bowl this week and said there's significant uncertainty surrounding their roles, but they're watching and waiting like everyone else.
"I’m just trying to do my best job here in New Orleans until I don’t work here anymore, so I’m gonna do my best and then whatever opportunity comes, you know, then I’ll do my best there, but you can’t worry, you can’t focus on it," defensive assistant Adam Gristick told me. "There’s so many variables, there’s so many different pieces that can fall in different places, so you know, I'm just trying to do my thing and then everything else will handle itself.”
If Moore does land the job, he'll have big shoes to fill to mirror the Saints' turnaround the last time they brought in an offensive whiz to lead the room. That year was 2006. Payton took over for Jim Haslett and took the Saints to the NFC Championship and a Super Bowl title not long after.