That recreation, after all, can be performed in New Orleans, making this the second straight Tremendous Bowl for the Eagles the place they are going to be leaving a coordinator behind after it is over. Two years in the past, after they misplaced Tremendous Bowl LVII to the Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, their defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon stayed behind to turn into the Arizona Cardinals‘ subsequent head coach.
And as soon as Moore formally leaves, the Eagles can be compelled to search for their fourth offensive coordinator in 4 years.
Moore was a superb one, too. The Eagles’ offensive points have been an enormous a part of their issues throughout their notorious 1-6 collapse on the finish of the 2023 season, which compelled head coach Nick Sirianni to fireplace offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and exchange him with Moore. Below Moore, and with the notable addition of free-agent working again Saquon Barkley, the Eagles had the eighth-ranked offense within the NFL and averaged 27.2 factors per recreation.
Moore, a former backup quarterback with the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, has had related success earlier than. In simply his second yr as an assistant coach, he was promoted to offensive coordinator in Dallas underneath Jason Garrett in 2019 and turned the Cowboys into the No. 1 offense within the NFL. When Mike McCarthy was employed in Dallas, he saved Moore on board, and in two years with a wholesome Dak Prescott (2021-22) the Cowboys have been one of many prime 4 scoring groups within the league, averaging 29.3 factors per recreation.
After McCarthy determined to take over the playcalling himself, Moore left in 2023 for the Los Angeles Chargers, the place his offense struggled, particularly with quarterback Justin Herbert lacking 4 video games. However he clearly bounced proper again in Philadelphia, a lot so that when McCarthy was fired in Dallas, Moore regarded like he was going to be a prime candidate there.
However the Cowboys by no means known as. In the meantime, the Saints’ search fell aside. They figured to have curiosity in Mike Vrabel, however did not get an opportunity to interview him earlier than he took the New England Patriots job. Ben Johnson, now the Chicago Bears coach, had no real interest in the job both.
And 4 of the Saints’ remaining prime candidates pulled out of the search earlier than they decided. Aaron Glenn declined a second interview so he might take the New York Jets head teaching job. Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady bowed out after his digital interview. McCarthy eliminated himself after his first interview. And Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury declined to simply accept an interview in any respect.
The Saints did interview Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka twice. Additionally they performed a courtesy interview with interim Saints coach Darren Rizzi.
However when a Saints contingent flew to Philadelphia to fulfill with Moore on the Monday night time after the Eagles beat the Commanders 55-23 within the NFC Championship Recreation, their ultimate intentions appeared clear.
Moore now will get to work with longtime Saints basic supervisor Mickey Loomis to scrub up a large number that has gotten progressively worse since Sean Payton’s profitable run in New Orleans ended after the 2021 season. They fired Payton’s alternative, Dennis Allen, halfway by way of this previous season and issues did not get any higher underneath Rizzi. That they had the third-worst protection within the NFL and averaged simply 19.9 factors per recreation.
However their greatest downside is that they’re at present projected to be about $54 million over the 2025 wage cap, in keeping with OverTheCap.com, which implies they will not have the power to repair their roster shortly. They’re additionally probably caught with 33-year-old quarterback Derek Carr, who appears to be on the decline and is signed by way of the 2026 season. He is attributable to rely for $51.5 million in opposition to their cap, and reducing him or buying and selling him would go away $40-50 million in lifeless cash behind, with not a lot cap financial savings in any respect.
They do have the ninth overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, although that is not going excessive sufficient to seek out Carr’s alternative anyway. So Moore is inheriting a crew with numerous holes and never many belongings out there to fill them, which means his rebuilding undertaking in New Orleans is more likely to take a number of years.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports activities. He spent the earlier six years protecting the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and earlier than that, 16 years protecting the Giants and the NFL for the New York Day by day Information. Comply with him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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