NEW ORLEANS — It could be a monumental few days for Kellen Moore.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ first-year offensive coordinator is set to make his Super Bowl debut here as a coach on Sunday when the Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome.
Moore, too, is the reported leading candidate to stick around in New Orleans and become the next head coach of the Saints, a process that can’t become official until after the NFL’s championship game since he is involved in it.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said “it’s shaping up” for Moore to take over as New Orleans’ head coach.
“He is coaching Sunday in the Super Bowl in the Superdome and it’s shaping up for Kellen Moore to stay in New Orleans as the Saints next head coach,” Schefter reported at the time.
“The Saints are doing everything they can to obey the rules and make sure they don’t do anything illegal or that the Eagles could come after them on, but barring a change of heart, it is shaping up for Kellen Moore to be the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints. The Saints will look to speak to him again next week to see if they can get a deal done.”
If the 36-year-old Moore ultimately becomes the 19th head coach in Saints franchise history, that means there will be two members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who are active head coaches in the NFL.
Moore would join the Chiefs’ Andy Reid, who is a three-time Super Bowl winner as a head coach and is searching for his fourth title this weekend.
“Obviously he’s been one of the best in this league for a really long time, and so I certainly watch a lot of Kansas City film each and every year, just trying to study things, just trying to grow,” Moore told the Deseret News regarding what he thinks of Reid and his creative Chiefs offense.
“They’re always innovative. They’re always trying new things. They’re always finding the next edge, which is really cool.”
The Saints job is the last open head coaching position in the league. Moore conducted in-person interviews in New Orleans last week. New Orleans is looking for a new head coach after going 5-12 this past season and firing Dennis Allen midway through the season.
What has Kellen Moore done in Philadelphia?
Under Moore’s leadership, the Eagles averaged 27.2 points and 367.2 yards per game during the regular season, and quarterback Jalen Hurts threw for 2,903 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions this year.
“I think he’s brought different ideas. He’s brought a different approach,” Hurts said about Moore, while later adding, “He’s been another person I’ve been able to take in and take from.”
The biggest star of the offense has been running back Saquon Barkley, who ran for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns in his first season in Philadelphia.
Barkley became just the ninth player to run for 2,000 yards in a single season.
“Yeah, he’s done a great job leading the offense, installing the plays, bringing confidence to the offensive players,” Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert told the Deseret News regarding Moore.
“He’s been great for us. You know, I don’t know everything that he does different, you know, but the success we’ve had on the offense is very good. I think he’d be a good head coach, but I like him as my OC, that’s for sure.”
A pair of Philadelphia wide receivers praised Moore for his football intelligence and his ability to connect with the players.
“On the IQ side of football, he truly helps you understand why we do things, and that’s what makes this offense so successful,” said Devonta Smith.
Added Jahan Dotson: “He listens to us. He’s really a player’s coach. He takes coaching well, just as much as we do. Whenever we throw new ideas, he’s willing to listen to us, and it benefits us on the field.
“I mean, he’s probably the easiest (coach) to talk to. He’s kind of like one of the guys in the locker room. He’s a brilliant mind, picking his brain a little bit, he just puts us in great positions to win games.”
If Moore leaves Philadelphia, the Eagles would be forced to hire a new offensive coordinator for the third straight season. Moore replaced former Utah quarterback Brian Johnson, who was fired last season after one year as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator.
Johnson has since landed with the Washington Commanders as the team’s assistant head coach/offensive pass game coordinator.
The year prior to that, Shane Steichen helped the Eagles land in Super Bowl LVII, only to leave to become the Indianapolis Colts’ head coach.
What Nick Sirianni said about Kellen Moore
“With Kellen, and I know there’s opportunities potentially, what happens will happen, but hopefully I’ve done my job to teach him the things that I know and help him, like other coaches, have helped me as far as that goes,” Philadelphia head coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday.
Previous to this season with the Eagles, Moore had been on the Dallas Cowboys’ coaching staff for five seasons — one year as the team’s quarterbacks coach and four more as offensive coordinator — and spent 2023 in the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Sirianni also gave a strong endorsement for Moore to land a head coaching position.
“I know that when Kellen does get this opportunity, I think he’s highly detailed in teaching the game of football. I think that he loves this game. He works extremely hard. He’s got a great offensive mind to help our guys and put our guys in positions to succeed and get better,” Sirianni said.
Then, Sirianni shared what kind of character he’s seen in Moore.
“And man, he’s a phenomenal person, a great person to work with. That’s so important, right? When we’re spending more time with each other than we are with our families, our wives, our kids, it’s important that you have good people around,” Sirianni said.
“And you know, as good of a football coach as he is, he’s an even better person, so guys got a lot of respect there for Kellen, and we’ll see how that plays out at the end of the year.”
Kellen Moore’s experience working with other Latter-day Saints
If Moore becomes the head coach in New Orleans, he’ll join two members of the church on the Saints roster, former BYU star Taysom Hill, who has been with the Saints since 2017, and former Lehi High/BYU/Colorado State tight end Dallin Holker.
Moore shared how the church’s teachings — which include the importance of family — have helped pattern his life on and off the field.
“The beauty of this profession is, it’s a really fun profession. It’s a really challenging profession, but you’ve got to keep it in perspective,” he told the Deseret News. “The ability to separate when you go home, I think it’s really important that you’re with your family. You allow that separation to exist.”
Moore is friends with members of BYU’s staff, including Kalani Sitake and Aaron Roderick, and visits Provo and BYU in the offseason, as the Deseret News’ Jay Drew reported earlier this week.
“I am excited for Kellen,” Sitake said. “He’s calling plays and doing some really cool things. Brother Moore is doing some work there, so there is some good representation from our church in this game.”
In Philadelphia, Moore has had two players on the offensive side who are members of the church in quarterback Tanner McKee and wide receiver/punt returner Britain Covey, the former University of Utah and Timpview High star.
McKee, in his second season in the NFL, has embraced the opportunity to learn under Moore in a year that included McKee getting his first NFL start, in a Week 18 win over the New York Giants.
“I think he has a great relationship with his players. I think he’s very knowledgeable of the game,” McKee told the Deseret News. “The story I always tell of him is when I was getting ready to have my first start against the Giants, we always have like our first 10 plays (scripted), and for whatever reason, Play 3, I just didn’t love it, whether it was the looks, you know, scheme, footwork, whatever it was, and I was just like, ‘Hey, you know, I don’t love this play, maybe we could take it out of the first 10 or change or tweak it a little bit.’
“And (Kellen)’s like, ‘Dude, I got your back, let’s do it,’ so we had a good conversation of why I didn’t necessarily love that play, we tweaked it, ended up getting like 40 yards out of it, so he definitely has that relationship with his players, and he’s very knowledgeable of the game.”