It’s déjà vu all over again for Jalen Hurts and Eagles fans.
Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is set to become the next Saints coach, ESPN reported late Saturday night.
It continues a notorious streak you’re sure to hear about during the Super Bowl LIX broadcast Sunday night: Hurts has started every one of his NFL and college seasons with a different playcaller than the year before.
And for the Eagles, it recalls a notorious moment from two years ago that still stings in Philadelphia. The last time the Birds were in the Super Bowl, the Cardinals and then-defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon made an illegal phone call about Arizona’s open head coach job.
NFL teams with openings are not allowed to contact Super Bowl assistants in the week leading up the game. Gannon and Cardinals GM Monte Ossenfort both called the call a “mistake.”
The illegal contact is part of Super Bowl lore, as it made Gannon a villain in Philadelphia. Patrick Mahomes gashed Gannon’s defense for 38 points in that Super Bowl, and the Eagles’ attempt to replace Gannon with Sean Desai and Matt Patricia in 2024 was an utter disaster. (Desai and Patricia left last offseason, and the defense has since course-corrected under Vic Fangio.)
The Eagles and Cardinals eventually agreed to a settlement that involved swapping 2023 third-round picks, moving the Eagles up 28 slots. Philly also sent back a 2024 fifth-rounder in the agreement.
Adam Schefter reported Saturday that the Saints, despite telegraphing their plans, are wary of tampering accusations because of the Gannon incident. “The Saints are making sure they do everything by the book so as not to break any rules and risk potential penalties,” he wrote.
Moore reportedly was paid $2.5 million to run the Eagles’ offense this year after previous stops as the offensive coordinator with the Cowboys and Chargers. Schefter wrote that that salary could be “more than doubled, and possibly tripled” in New Orleans. The Saints have the only remaining head coach opening in the NFL.
