Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is finalizing a deal to become the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero, and Mike Garafolo. Moore will be the last person hired during the 2025 NFL coaching cycle after the Patriots, Bears, Jets, Jaguars, Raiders, and Cowboys all named their new head coaches.
Since hanging up his cleats in 2018, Moore has held four different coaching jobs. After being the Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback coach in 2018, he served as Dallas’ offensive coordinator from 2019 to 2022 before becoming the OC of the Los Angeles Chargers. He then became the offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles in February 2024, where he led the Birds to their first Super Bowl Championship since 2018.
Though this is a day of celebration for the Saints, it is a bittersweet moment for Philly. The Eagles lost one of their best coaches just days after winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Now, Philadelphia is on the prowl for a new offensive coordinator.
This is a good hiring by the Saints
What’s so interesting about this move is that I remember we are only two or three years removed from Kellen Moore being viewed as one of the best up-and-coming coaching candidates in the NFL. I don’t know what happened between now and then that caused him to fall off of people’s radars, but I still think he has the potential to be a great coach.
Everywhere that Moore has gone, offensive improvement has followed him. After taking over as the OC of the Cowboys, Dallas’ scoring increased from 21.2 points per game to 27.1 points per game. Though the Chargers’ offense saw a drop-off in scoring after Moore’s arrival, I think that was largely caused by Justin Herbert missing four games last season. Prior to being hired by Philly, the Eagles scored 433 points in 2023-24. With Kellen Moore leading the charge, Philly scored 463 points this season even though they benched most of their starters in Week 18. I expect an improved offense in New Orleans this coming year.
We need to see who Moore will select to be his defensive and special teams coordinators. Those decisions will go a long way in determining how competitive the Saints are this season. According to Fox Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, former Chargers head coach Brandon Staley is “a serious candidate” to become New Orleans’ defensive coordinator. Though he was a bad head coach, it’s hard to argue that he’s a bad defensive coach.
At the end of the day, I really like this hiring because it’s risky. The last time the Saints hired a head coach, they went with the “safe” choice, picking their longtime defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to lead the team. His tenure was short-lived, and he was fired in the middle of this past season. When it comes to head coaches, I always prefer my team to make the risky choice over the safe one. I would rather my favorite team hire three unproven coaches over eight years and find the next Sean McVay than hire one coach and stick with him for eight years because he’ll bring stability to the franchise. I would much rather have Sean McVay than Jeff Fisher.
The Kellen Moore hiring is a big swing by Saints management. Let’s hope this decision pays off for them over the next year or two. Otherwise, we’ll be having this conversation again fairly soon.
