The NFL’s coaching carousel has officially come to a halt, with the Saints announcing the hire of Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. New Orleans is the seventh and final franchise to name a new head coach this offseason.
Moore interviewed for the job twice during the playoffs—once virtually and once in person—but the Saints had to wait until after his Eagles won Super Bowl LIX to formally sign him.
Two years ago, the Cardinals were hit with tampering charges surrounding the hire of former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as their head coach. Arizona had to swap third-round NFL Draft picks with Philadelphia and give up a fifth-round selection.
Despite the formalities, the Eagles were not surprised by Moore’s impending exit. “Unfortunately, we’re gonna have to wish him the very best with New Orleans,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said after Sunday’s victory. “Let’s run this shit back, Kellen,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni jokingly said.
Money Moves
Tuesday’s move capped an expensive hiring cycle filled with drama off the field. Here’s a recap of the head coaching hires:
- Bears: Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
- Cowboys: Promoted offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer
- Jaguars: Buccaneers offensive coordinator Liam Coen
- Jets: Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
- Patriots: Former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel
- Raiders: Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll
- Saints: Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore
Johnson was the most sought-after candidate and landed a deal reportedly worth $13 million per season with the Bears. Coen’s salary may not be far behind after he spurned the Buccaneers, who had offered to make him the NFL’s highest-paid coordinator.
Carroll’s hiring, which makes him the oldest head coach in the NFL at 73, highlighted Tom Brady’s growing influence as a minority owner of the Raiders, despite his $375 million role as Fox’s No. 1 NFL game analyst.
Schottenheimer’s promotion put an even larger spotlight on the unique coaching hiring strategy of Cowboys owner and GM Jerry Jones, following Mike McCarthy’s exit after his contract expired.
One Final Puzzle Piece
The Jets, Raiders, and Titans hired new GMs this cycle, and now the only major NFL vacancy is the Jaguars GM position.
Jacksonville fired Trent Baalke ahead of Coen’s hiring, after initially retiring its front office leader when it fired coach Doug Pederson. The Jaguars hired Hall of Fame offensive lineman Tony Boselli as EVP of football operations. Boselli, Coen, and the new GM will all report directly to team owner Shad Khan.
The franchise also extended team president Mark Lamping, who is leading efforts around the $1.4 billion renovations to EverBank Stadium, which will require playing in a temporary venue in 2027.
