Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore found himself surrounded by reporters in New Orleans, all eager to ask him about his future. The New Orleans Saints are the last NFL team searching for a head coach, and Moore is the top candidate, although he can’t be hired yet because the Eagles are playing in the Super Bowl this Sunday.
“It’s obviously been a good process,” Moore said about his initial meetings with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and other team officials last week. “Having an opportunity to meet with Mickey and their leadership group has been great, and it’s set up in a way that allows us to focus on this game, and we’ll see what happens after that.”
During Super Bowl media night, Moore avoided directly answering questions about whether he could be back in New Orleans next fall as head coach. He stressed that his full focus was on Sunday’s game against the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and that his only concern was preparing for this opportunity to coach in the Super Bowl.
Moore, who played as a backup quarterback behind Dak Prescott in Dallas in 2017 before becoming his position coach, has had success in his current role. This season, he helped lead the Eagles’ offense, which featured running back Saquon Barkley, one of only nine players in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.
The Eagles ranked eighth in the league for total offense, with most of their yards coming from the ground game. They finished second in rushing yards per game (179.3), but ranked 29th in passing (187.9 ypg).
“You build around your players,” Moore said. “There’s different styles we’ve played over the years and that’s the fun part of it. You have certain things that you have strong feelings about from a coaching perspective, but I think it’s important to do what your players do best and surround yourself with as many opportunities to get those guys in those situations as you can.”
If Moore becomes the Saints’ head coach, he’d take charge of an offense featuring star running back Alvin Kamara. The team’s quarterback could be Derek Carr, whom Moore once faced in college, when Moore was at Boise State and Carr played for Fresno State.
“Tons of respect for him as a quarterback in this league,” Moore said about Carr. “He’s had a tremendous career and done a lot of really good things.”
Moore isn’t new to New Orleans, having a relationship with the Manning family from his time at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, Louisiana, which he called an “awesome experience.”
When he eventually becomes a head coach, Moore expects to remain the primary play-caller for his offense.
“Certainly it’s a passion of mine, something that had gotten me to this place,” Moore said. “You hate to stop doing what you love as you go through this journey.”
Eagles players weren’t surprised to see Moore in the running for a head coaching job.
“He’s the worst coordinator I’ve ever had,” joked Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, as if it would deter the Saints from hiring Moore.
“Kellen’s been the best,” Mailata added. “He’s done a great job setting up plays, explaining the schemes, and the whys behind certain motions and formations. It’s a magical thing. It’s no wonder why he’s a finalist to be a head coach here.”
