Taking A Closer Look At Saints Head Coaching Candidate Kellen Moore
The New Orleans Saints have completed an in-person interview with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for their head coaching position. This was via an announcement from the team on Tuesday morning.
New Orleans flew into Philadelphia to meet with Moore, who is in his first year with the team. The Eagles advanced to Super Bowl LIX with a 55-23 win over Washington in the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
Moore, 36, is one of the hotter names in this year's coaching cycle. Meanwhile, the Saints are the last team without a head coach at the helm.
New Orleans has also held in-person interviews with Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and their own special teams coordinator/interim coach Darren Rizzi.
There may also be interest in former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, who also coached the Packers to nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl XLV title. However, the two sides have yet to formally speak.
It may be telling that the Saints have waited until after the conference title games to hire a coach. Perhaps even more telling that New Orleans flew up to meet with Moore.
Here's a closer look at what may be the frontrunner to become the Saints next head coach.
Kellen Moore
Boise State
A standout at Prosser High School in Washington, Moore was Gatorade Player of the Year for the state before attending Boise State in 2007. He was a redshirt his first year before taking over starting quarterback duties in 2008 and leading the Broncos to a 50-3 record as a starter the next four years.
Over his career at Boise State, Moore completed 69.8% of his throws for an average of 3,667 yards per year with 142 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. He led his conference in completion percentage all four of his seasons and both touchdowns and passing yardage in three years. His 74.3% completion percentage in 2011 led all NCAA passers.
Moore was the first FBS quarterback to win 50 games as a starter. Despite all this, the two-time WAC and one time Mountain West Player of the Year was not selected in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Moore - NFL career
The Detroit Lions signed Kellen Moore as an undrafted rookie in 2012. He'd spend three years in Detroit without a snap of regular season action. Upon his release during the 2015 preseason, Moore was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys.
After one year on the practice squad, Moore was on the active roster most of 2016. He'd relieve an ineffective Matt Cassel late in the year against the New York Jets and threw his first career touchdown, but also tossed three interceptions.
Moore started the next two contests against the Bills and Redskins, both losses. He completed 46 of 79 throws for 621 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Against the Redskins, Moore threw for 435 yards and three scores.
Those were the last, and only, regular season games of Moore's career. A broken fibula sidelined him for all of 2016 and he retired after spending the 2017 season on the practice squad. His three-game career consisted of a 58.7% completion percentage for 779 yards with four touchdown passes and six interceptions.
Moore's Coaching Career
Upon retirement in 2018, Moore was retained on the Cowboys coaching staff as QB coach. He was promoted to offensive coordinator the following season and was retained in that role when Mike McCarthy took over as head coach for a fired Jason Garrett in 2020.
Moore remained as Dallas offensive coordinator through the 2022 campaign. During his second season as offensive coordinator (2020), starting quarterback Dak Prescott was injured for all but five contests. However, the Cowboys finished with a top-3 ranking in total offense and passing yardage in two of his other three campaigns.
Dallas and Moore parted ways after the 2022 season. The Chargers brought him in as their offensive coordinator in 2023.
After a strong start to the year offensively, Los Angeles leveled out and would rank just 18th overall during a 5-12 finish. The Chargers replaced the entire coaching staff at year's conclusion.
It was then when Moore landed with the Eagles. Philadelphia finished the season with a 14-3 regular season record on the way to their way to the fifth conference championship in franchise history. In the process, the Eagles scored at least 30 points seven times and were held to less than 20 only two times.
The Eagles ranked eighth in total offensive production and seventh in points scored. Their passing attack was only 29th, but they were also last in passing attempts.
That's because Philadelphia's running game was second in the league with an average of 179 yards per game. Led by RB Saquon Barkley, who had an incredible 2,005 rushing yards, Philadelphia destroyed defenses on the ground each passing week.
Kellen Moore is a well-respected offensive coach throughout the NFL. It seems only a matter of time before he gets a head coaching opportunity. Whether it's with the New Orleans Saints is a question that's likely to be answered in a short period of time.