The 2025 NFL off-season was a huge one around the league, especially when it came to head coaching turnover, with seven different teams opting to replace their current options with another candidate. One of those teams was the New Orleans Saints
, who, after a period of time under Dennis Allen and Darren Rizzi, decided to move away from the Sean Payton coaching tree and find a new external candidate.Ultimately, they landed on Kellen Moore, who, in conjunction with a floundering Mickey Loomis, has looked woefully unprepared for the jump to the head coaching position. In a season and a half with the team, Moore has led the roster to a 8-16 record, putting up 468 points as a team in that span (appx. 19.5 per game). For reference, in the three seasons
the team spent under Dennis Allen and Darren Rizzi, non-offensive coaches in their own right, the roster averaged 20.98 points per game.
Safe to say it has not been a sufficient start to the Moore era, and with the bye week now here, we can take a look and compare him to the other hires made that off-season to see if the Saints would have had any other better options within reason.
New England Patriots: Mike Vrabel (18-6)
As much flak as he gets for the scandals during the offseason, and having an immensely week schedule in his first season, at the end of the day he led a team that was completely inept without him to a Super Bowl appearance in his first season, and that has to be worth something. He has helped to develop Drake Maye into a high-end starting quarterback in this league, and the defense has been formidable in many instances. Another very good hire during the 2025 offseason.
Jacksonville Jaguars: Liam Coen (17-6)
With how many offensive coaches were hired during this cycle, Liam Coen has an argument to be made as one of, if not the best one so far. The Jaguars have been led to a 17-6 record under Coen so far, and his offense is averaging 27.3 points per game in that span. While the playoff success is still a work in progress after a first-year wild card exit, the team itself seems to be significantly better under Coen's guidance, and is only trending upwards.
Chicago Bears: Ben Johnson (16-8)
While the Saints were almost certainly never in the running for Ben Johnson, it has been night and day in terms of on-field comparison between him and Moore. The Chicago Bears have been among the best offenses in the league since he took over in 2025, and his ability to ensure the development of Caleb Williams was seen through was another highlight of his tenure so far.
For the sake of comparison, the Bears are averaging 25.87 points per game since Johnson was hired, and that is with Williams missing multiple games early this season with Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum filling in. Safe to say he was a great hire.
Dallas Cowboys: Brian Schottenheimer (10-13-1)
Finally on the list, we have the Dallas Cowboys in-house hire, as they decided to promote their offensive coordinator to the head coach role. While the offense has improved under Scottenheimer, posting 471 points last season, they also allowed a whopping 511 points, which killed their momentum. The team does average 27.5 points per game with his coaching, but they are allowing 28.79, which is less than stellar. He has done a solid job at his specific niche of offensive efficiency, but needs to find the defensive side sooner than later.
New York Jets: Aaron Glenn (5-19)
Speaking of former coordinators from the previous New Orleans teams, there was also Aaron Glenn being hired in this cycle, as Dan Cambell, also a former Saints coach, lost both coordinators in one offseason. Glenn had a dismal first year with the New York Jets, going 3-14 while the team allowed a whopping 503 points, good for a -203 point differential.
2026 looked to be a little bit different after a solid draft class and the addition of Geno Smith, who was solid the first few weeks, but now at 2-5 with a -13 point differential, things are trending back the other direction. It will be interesting to see how the remainder of 2026 pans out for the Jets and Glenn, as it could determine whether or not he remains their head coach by March.
Las Vegas Raiders: Pete Caroll (3-14)
On the bright side, Kellen Moore will have a longer tenure than at least one 2025 head coach hire, as Pete Carroll was removed from his post following a one-year stint with the Las Vegas Raiders, and they moved on to former Saints coordinator Klint Kubiak in his stead. Carroll was mostly a check and see type of coach, where one team had to try to see if he still had anything in the tank following the departure from the Seattle Seahawks. Unfortunately for them, he did not.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Class of 2025: How Saints coach Kellen Moore compares to his peers
