Mike McCarthy has decided not to coach in 2025, removing himself as a candidate for the New Orleans Saints’ open head coaching position.
A person close to McCarthy shared this decision with The Associated Press on Tuesday night, but they asked to remain anonymous because McCarthy and the Saints have not publicly discussed it.
McCarthy is the third major candidate to step away from the Saints’ search, following Buffalo offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
The remaining candidates for the Saints job include Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi, Miami defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka. All of them have already had in-person interviews.
If the Saints want to hire Moore, they will have to wait until after the Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl in New Orleans on February 9.
Rizzi, a long-time special teams coordinator with the Dolphins and Saints, took over as head coach in New Orleans after the firing of third-year coach Dennis Allen in November. Rizzi went 3-5, starting off 3-1 before starting quarterback Derek Carr was injured and lost for the season with a non-throwing hand injury.
The 61-year-old McCarthy, who spent the last five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers during his 12 seasons there, was the most experienced candidate being considered by the Saints.
McCarthy had been successful as an offensive coordinator in New Orleans from 2000 to 2004 before spending one season in the same role with San Francisco. Green Bay hired him in 2006, and he helped transition the team’s quarterback position from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers, winning a Super Bowl with Rodgers in the 2010 season.
McCarthy left Dallas after a 7-10 record in 2024, which was his second losing season with the Cowboys. He had won 12 regular-season games in each of the previous three seasons.
