The list of potential head coaches for the New Orleans Saints continued to shrink on Tuesday, with a pair of high-profile names removing themselves from contention.
The first was Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury, who opted to stay with Washington and Jayden Daniels rather than pursue head coaching opportunities this cycle. The second was former Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, who despite interest from both sides has stepped back and will focus on the 2026 head coaching cycle as well.
The news continues a trend of coaches not pursuing the final head coach opening available. Bills OC Joe Brady opted to stay in Buffalo while former Lions DC Aaron Glenn was hired as the New York Jets head coach, both declining in-person interviews after taking virtual visits in New Orleans.
For Kingsbury the news should come as little surprise, given his decision to forgo interviews until his team completed its postseason trip with the Commanders ultimately losing to the Eagles in the NFC Championship. He had also stated previously that was not eager to leave his current situation, paired with rising superstar Jayden Daniels.
McCarthy's situation was a bit more open ended, but the lack of any forward momentum on an interview portended the result. No visit was ever scheduled for McCarthy, who was eligible to be interviewed after his contract with the Cowboys expired on Jan. 14. The Saints appeared to prioritize other candidates throughout the process.
Of those candidates, four appear to be still in contention for the job, including McCarthy's former OC Kellen Moore, who is readying for Super Bowl 59 with the Eagles, a game that will be played in New Orleans. The Saints flew out to Philadelphia on Monday for an interview with Moore, which reportedly went well and stretched past midnight into Tuesday. The 36-year-old's prospects have seemed to gain momentum significantly in recent weeks, and he would represent a return to the offensive focus that the team found success with under Sean Payton.
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Three other coaches have conducted in-person interviews and should be considered legitimate candidates. One of those coaches is Giants OC Mike Kafka, who is serving as one of the head coaches at the Senior Bowl and spoke about his interview this week.
“Yea, you know, you certainly spend a lot of time studying, No. 1, their roster, the staff. You study their history, kind of, the organization and the ownership group," Kafka said. "So there’s a lot of things to like about their organization and if that opportunity presents itself, you know, I think you’ll be lucky to get that job.”
The other two names to watch are Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi and Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.
Another question will be timing. If the Saints do intend to hire Moore, don't expect a quick resolution, though something could always be ironed out in advance to end the suspense. Coaches on Super Bowl teams can not officially be hired until after the big game, which would be Feb. 10. It would mirror the scenario the Eagles encountered two years ago when they played the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57 out in Arizona, with then offensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon staying behind to take over as the Cardinals head coach.
Whomever the Saints hire, there will be significant pressure to steer the ship in the right direction -- and to show signs of that quickly. The Saints have significant questions to answer, including an aging roster with a veteran quarterback, a $50 million salary cap overage and four consecutive postseason misses.