From player to coordinator to coach, a full circle moment could happen as early as this week. Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore reportedly already has his next job lined up prior to the kickoff of Super Bowl LIX.
“The expectation remains” that Moore will take over as head coach of the New Orleans Saints following Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, according to Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Moore “had already started making calls on a potential staff” ahead of Super Bowl week, according to Schultz.
ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed the report, adding that the Saints “don’t want to bend or break any rules and therefore will wait until after Super Bowl LIX on Sunday before working to try to finalize any agreement with Moore, according to sources. The sides are not expected to have any challenges to get a deal done, sources said.”
Schefter added: “Moore privately has told people he is interested in and wants the Saints job, according to sources, and the Saints want him, which is why a deal is expected to get done once the sides can meet again after Super Bowl LIX, barring an unexpected breakdown in contract talks.”
The Saints are the only NFL team without a head coach. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported last week that the Eagles are “bracing” to lose Moore to the Saints after this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Saints wrapped up their first in-person interview with Moore on January 27, and the rumors connecting Moore to the head coaching vacancy in New Orleans have only intensified since then.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on January 31, nine days before the Super Bowl, that Saints general manager Mickey Loomis had “informed other candidates” he intended to continue a dialogue with Moore. Pelissero added that Moore “has been working on staff.”
These numerous reports have led to hard-hitting questions regarding staffers Moore could potentially hire at his next stop, including his younger brother Kirby Moore, who has served as the Missouri Tigers offensive coordinator since 2023.
When asked about Kirby Moore’s work with the Tigers, Kellen Moore told LouisianaSports.net’s Ross Jackson on Thursday he knows his brother is “going to have a lot of really good opportunities, you know, very shortly for himself.”
This is not the first time the NFL head coaching cycle, starting during the playoffs, has led to some overlap between coordinators’ work with their current teams and planning for their next stop.
Former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who was named head coach of the Chicago Bears less than two days after his team’s elimination from the Divisional round, began building his staff the following week.
Moore told reporters during the week leading up to the Super Bowl that the noise surrounding the Saints job opening was not serving as a distraction from the most important game of the Eagles’ season.
“It’s just pure focus on this,” Moore said about the Super Bowl, according to NOLA.com’s Matthew Paras. “You don’t have to worry about a single thing except for this opportunity.”
In his first season playing in Moore’s offense, running back Saquon Barkley has led the NFL in rushing yards during both the regular season and playoffs. Moore will look for one more big game from Barkley when Super Bowl LIX kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox.
