Late Tuesday night, the New Orleans Saints lost another coaching candidate, as veteran head coach Mike McCarthy pulled his name out of the search. This, unfortunately, has become a theme for New Orleans this hiring cycle, but it was especially shocking this time, because McCarthy was considered a favorite for the job.
Once it was announced that he would take the year off and focus on the 2026 hiring cycle, reporters scrambled to find out why. The result of the scramble was a report that New Orleans was choosing to go in another direction anyway.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that McCarthy didn’t garner the interest he anticipated from the Saints, and the writing was on the wall that New Orleans will likely be moving forward with Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Instead of waiting to be denied, McCarthy just pulled out of the search, according to Schultz.
Sources: Mike McCarthy did not garner the interest from the #Saints that he anticipated — and it’s starting to seem like #Eagles OC Kellen Moore is the leader in the clubhouse in New Orleans.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) January 29, 2025
McCarthy backs out before being shutout. pic.twitter.com/Noc1OHGeNn
Mike McCarthy pulls out of Saints’ coaching search as New Orleans focuses on Kellen Moore
This decision from McCarthy comes a day after veteran NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that there were questions surrounding McCarthy and the Saints. The supposed questions were about he franchise’s power structure, communication when it comes to football decisions, and length of contract. Those are definitely tough obstacles for a candidate and a team to overcome.
However, New Orleans and McCarthy never met for an official interview. While the two sides were planning to do so for about two weeks, it never came to fruition. That could mean McCarthy and the franchise had informal conversations that showed they weren’t on the same page, or McCarthy could’ve truly had a change of heart, and decided to take this year off.
Either way, he won’t be the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints, as all signs point to Kellen Moore being the guy.