Mike McCarthy has decided against coaching in 2025, removing himself as a candidate to fill the NFL’s last remaining head coaching vacancy with the New Orleans Saints

As the New Orleans Saints head into the offseason looking to bolster their roster, the team is also looking for their next head coach with one in mind being Mike McCarthy, who was at the helm for the Dallas Cowboys last season. While the Saints will interview McCarthy, NFL insider Adam Schefter spoke about how he makes the most sense for the role.

Mike McCarthy is no longer planning to coach this year, sources told ESPN, while Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as a lead candidate for the Saints job, the last remaining head coach vacancy in the NFL.

NewOrleans.Football‘s Nick Underhill reported that the New Orleans Saints are working to set up a meeting with former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.

McCarthy is the third high-profile candidate to pull out of the Saints' search, joining Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

Mike McCarthy has decided against coaching in 2025, removing himself as a candidate to fill the NFL's last remaining head coaching vacancy with the New Orleans Saints. A person familiar with McCarthy's decision disclosed it to The Associated Press on Tuesday night on condition of anonymity because McCarthy and the Saints have not discussed it publicly.

Mike McCarthy, the former Cowboys coach who was in the running for the Saints job, is now not planning to coach this year and will focus on the 2026 hiring cycle instead, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday night.

Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.

Mickey Loomis has been linked to wanting to tie his to-be-determined next HC to some of Dennis Allen‘s contracted assistants, but Mike McCarthy may not see eye-to-eye with that approach.

The reason: he was Johnson once. Allen, the Bears ’ new defensive coordinator, was a 39-year-old first-time head coach when the Raiders started their 2012 regular season. Johnson will be 39 when the Bears play their first game with him as their head coach.

The New Orleans Saints are in a rough position. Every NFL team has either kept their current head coach or hired a new head coach to replace the one they fired... except for them. After firing Dennis Allen in the middle of the season, the Saints found themselves looking for a new man to lead the team.