The New Orleans Saints are the only team that has yet to fill their head coaching vacancy after dismissing Dennis Allen, and things will start to look even bleaker if their new top choice in Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore doesn't end up taking this job.
Not only were the Saints rebuffed by former defensive backs coach Aaron Glenn when he took the New York Jets' job, but they lost out on former Packers and Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy when he confirmed that he would look to the 2026 head coaching cycle to find his next opportunity.
Moore, who turned the Eagles' offense into a juggernaut, has been viewed as the favorite for this job. However, New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka is firmly in play despite his team ranking 31st in points scored this season.
GM Mickey Loomis is already on thin ice after scaring away top candidates with New Orleans' frightening salary cap situation. If he screws up this layup of a coaching hire by eschewing Moore, his time may finally be up.
Saints possibly picking Mike Kafka over Kellen Moore could be the end for Mickey Loomis
Kafka was once an offensive wunderkind like Moore once upon a time, as he was Patrick Mahomes' quarterback coach in Kansas City. Since arriving in New York, Kafka, who earned a promotion to assistant head coach while retaining his OC duties, has been very up-and-down.
Not only have Kafka's offenses ranked near the bottom of the league quite often (with Daniel Jones and Tommy DeVito as his quarterbacks, granted), but the issue of play-calling has hung over his tenure in New York. Kafka has had play-calling duties stripped and returned to him multiple times, and it wasn't clear who was in charge at the end of 2024.
Moore has a longer resume of success as an offensive coordinator when compared to Kafka, is one game away from slipping a Super Bowl ring on his fingers, and has developed a reutation as a master mentor of quarterbacks. Moore is the type of candidate teams dream about, while Kafka needs to beef up his resume.
If both candidates are interested in this job, and Loomis willingly decides to pick Kafka as his next coach, this could plunge the Saints into a very dark place. With Tampa Bay in charge of the division, Atlanta building a scary young offense, and Carolina trending upward, the Saints might not be able to compete for division titles.