New Orleans Saints Hire Young Coach Kellen Moore

The New Orleans Saints have found their new head coach. Kellen Moore, a 36-year-old offensive mastermind, is stepping into the role. Moore has a fresh perspective and a lot of experience. He was the offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles this past season. They won the Super Bowl. This is a big deal for the Saints, who have been struggling since Drew Brees retired and Sean Payton left. They haven't made the playoffs since 2020. The Saints took their time finding a new coach. They waited longer than any other NFL team this year. Moore was the only assistant coach from either Super Bowl team that the Saints interviewed. He couldn't be hired until after the Super Bowl was over. The Saints announced their agreement with Moore on Tuesday. This move is part of a trend in the NFL. Teams are hiring younger offensive coaches and finding success. The Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay, Miami, and Minnesota have all done this recently. Moore is excited about his new role. He said, "I look forward to embracing the challenges ahead and am eager to get started. " He will be formally introduced on Thursday. Moore had a solid career as a quarterback at Boise State. He played for the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys. He moved into coaching in 2018. He started as a quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019. He left Dallas to join the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023. He then moved to Philadelphia in 2024. Moore is known for adapting his play-calling to fit his team's strengths. He did this with the Eagles, who had a strong running game. They rushed for a franchise-record 3, 048 yards. When the Chiefs limited their running back Saquon Barkley in the Super Bowl, Moore responded with well-timed passing plays. He will now lead an offense featuring Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave. Moore discussed his approach to play-calling. He said, "You have certain things that you have strong feelings about from a coaching perspective – certain philosophies – but I think it’s important to do what your players do best. " The Saints' quarterback Derek Carr has two years left on his contract. His future with the team is uncertain after two non-playoff seasons. Moore will be the Saints' second head coach since Payton left. Payton retired after the 2021 season. The Saints went 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs. That was the first of four straight seasons without a playoff berth. Payton's former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, took over in 2021. He went 18-25 during two and a half seasons before being fired. Darren Rizzi, who was a special teams coordinator under both Payton and Allen, took over on an interim basis. He went 3-5. He wanted to remain with the Saints and interviewed for the full-time job after this season. New Orleans also interviewed Miami Dolphins coordinator Anthony Weaver, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Former Dallas and Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy also was expected to interview with New Orleans, but withdrew his candidacy on Jan. 28, just days after Brady withdrew. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has lost a key assistant from his staff for the second time after the team reached the Super Bowl. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon left after the 2022 season when he was named head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He is 12-22 in two seasons with Arizona. Offensive coordinator Shane Steichen left in the same time period when he was named head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He is 17-17 in two seasons.