Mike McCarthy’s latest move makes it very clear who Saints intend to hire

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy made a very important, yet unsurprising, decision about his career Tuesday night. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that the man who Jerry Jones fired just weeks ago will not be coaching for any team in 2025.

McCarthy (12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons coaching) decided to withdraw his name from consideration for the only remaining coaching vacancy in the league (New Orleans) and take the next season off. That move mirrors what previous high-profile coaches have done recently like Bill Belichick, Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll taking time away from on-field duties for at least one year.

However, McCarthy — like Belichick, Vrabel and Carroll — is expected to be a top candidate for any future vacancies in 2026, per Pelissero and Rapoport. He was being looked at to lead the Saints but apparently did not garner the interest he preferred, according to insider Jordan Schultz, hence his decision to walk away from the game for now.

Mike McCarthy's break from coaching opens the door for Saints to hire his former apprentice

Schultz also reports that former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore (currently in the same position for the Super Bowl-bound Philadelphia Eagles) is now the expected front runner for the job in New Orleans. The team announced Tuesday morning it had formally interviewed Moore again for the position in a post on X.

Moore spent time under McCarthy from 2020-22, essentially acting as the architect for the offense that dominated the NFC in the regular season in that span. He spent the 2023 season as the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Chargers before landing in his current role with the Eagles.

The Saints sort of have their decision made for them and that's not a knock on Moore's abilities. McCarthy wasn't the first candidate to withdraw his name from consideration for this job. Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady - who had massive success in the bayou with the 2019 national champion LSU Tigers - also pulled out in recent days.

Whether the job is actually desirable is one question but there could be other outlying factors. If Moore is the choice for the Saints he should bring a versatile style to an offense that went stagnant since exploding in the first two weeks of the 2024 season.