Two more names have withdrawn from the vacant New Orleans Saints’ coaching search, narrowing the field of some qualified candidates.
On Tuesday, both Mike McCarthy and Kliff Kingsbury removed their name from consideration, adding to a growing list of coaches who have declined in-person interviews with the team.
So far, Ben Johnson (who went to the Bears) Mike Vrabel (who went to the Patriots), Joe Brady (who stayed with the Bills as OC), Aaron Glenn (who went with the Jets) and now McCarthy (will take the year off in 2025) and Kingsbury (who will stay with Commanders as OC) have all either been hired elsewhere or have opted to keep their current jobs – all without even having an in-person meeting with the Saints who are the last team to hire their coach this cycle.
The Saints did meet with Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in person on Monday, and many believe the job will now be given to either Moore, Dolphins’ defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver or Saints’ Interim head coach Darren Rizzi.
Multiple national media reports said that McCarthy had “cooled” on the Saints with one report saying that he questioned the power structure in New Orleans – a theme that is continuing to come up by reporters in social media who are claiming that candidates are not eager to work for General Manager Mickey Loomis, who has been much maligned in recent years for how he has shaped the team’s roster and structured the salary cap situation.