Were Mickey Loomis and McCarthy playing a game of chicken and Saints lost, or is Moore (or someone else) the real target, anyway?

With Kliff Kingsbury returning to the Washington Commanders and Mike McCarthy reportedly pulling his name out of contention for the New Orleans

Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy removed his name from consideration and will be focusing on the 2026 head coaching cycle, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. McCarthy should be a strong candidate for a head coaching job next year,

The New Orleans Saints are the final team in the NFL with a head coaching vacancy, and they appear to be locking in on their top candidate. After former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy backed out of the running for the gig on Tuesday night,

It looks like the former Cowboys coach will be following in the footsteps of previous high-profile sideline bosses, clearing the way for one of his protege.

Former Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy does not plan to coach this year. The New Orleans Saints are the only team still looking to hire a head coach, with six other franchises previously filling their vacancies.

Mike McCarthy has pulled himself out of the Saints head coach search. NFL Network reports he’s taking the year off and will look for work in 2026:

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the former Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers headman removed himself from the New Orleans Saints head coaching race last night. McCarthy’s intentions will now be on the 2026 head coaching cycle.

According of Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football, the Saints have "no plans to interview anyone else," for the opening and are down to candidates: New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Underhill also shared that Moore is the leader in the clubhouse:

The Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator is reportedly the leader in the clubhouse to become the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints, but that doesn't make it the right move.

The Dallas Cowboys are headed into a new era under Brian Schottenheimer, formally introduced Monday as the team’s head coach. No, Schottenheimer wasn’t a hot name this hiring cycle, nor has he ever been a head coach.