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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Kellen Moore, who oversaw the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles ' offense this season, has agreed to return to the site of his latest triumph as the next coach of the New Orleans Saints.
The 36-year-old Moore will join an organization that has been floundering since the retirement of quarterback Drew Brees and departure of Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton. The Saints haven’t made the playoffs since the 2020 season — the last of Brees' career.
Their interest in Moore became increasingly evident as the club waited longer to fill its vacancy than any other NFL team seeking a new coach this year.
Moore was the only assistant coach on either Super Bowl team to be interviewed by New Orleans and thus the only candidate who, under league rules, could not be hired until after Sunday's title game was played. The Saints announced their agreement with Moore on Tuesday.
Their decision mirrors that of several teams that have found success after hiring relatively young offensive coaches. They included the Los Angeles Rams with Sean McVay, Green Bay with Matt LaFleur, Miami with Mike McDaniel and Minnesota with 2024 AP Coach of the Year Kevin O'Connell. All four of those coaches were hired while in their 30s.
“I look forward to embracing the challenges ahead and am eager to get started," Moore, whose formal introduction is scheduled for Thursday, said in a statement released by the club.
A standout college quarterback at Boise State, Moore had a six-year career as a practice squad or reserve QB with Detroit (2012-2014) and Dallas (2015-2017). He played in just three regular-season games, all with the Cowboys in 2015.
He moved into coaching in 2018 as a quarterbacks coach and was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2019. He left Dallas to join the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 before moving to Philadelphia in 2024.
While Moore tended to favor pass-heavy schemes in his early years as a coordinator, he adapted when he joined the Eagles.
Recognizing Philadelphia's strength as a running team — with its big, physical offensive line, star running back Saquon Barkley and mobile quarterback Jalen Hurts — Moore oversaw the NFL's second-ranked ground game in 2024.
The Eagles rushed for a franchise-record 3,048 yards, with Barkley gaining 2,005 of that before adding an additional 499 yards in four playoff games. And when the Chiefs limited Barkley to 57 yards rushing in the Super Bowl, Moore responded with well-timed passing plays that included touchdowns of 46 yards to DeVonta Smith and 12 yards to A.J. Brown.
Moore takes over an offense featuring versatile running back Alvin Kamara and receiver Chris Olave.
While in New Orleans for the Super Bowl this past week, Moore discussed how he tries feature the strengths of available personnel in his play-calling.
“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,” Moore said. “Going from Dallas to LA to Philadelphia, we've certainly played three different styles, and it's fun when you team up with people just building it however we want to.”
Saints quarterback Derek Carr has two years left on his contract, but his future with the Saints is cloudy following a pair of non-playoff seasons with the club.
Moore will become the Saints' second head coach since Payton briefly retired following the 2021 season, during which New Orleans went 9-8 and narrowly missed the playoffs.
That was the first of what is now four straight seasons without a playoff berth.
Payton's former defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, took over in 2021, only to go 18-25 during 2 1/2 seasons before being fired following a seven-game skid.
Darren Rizzi, who was a special teams coordinator under both Payton and Allen, took over on an interim basis and 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.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Clearwater, Florida, and AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
