Moore's Saints season defied expectations. Discover where his job security lands amid a coaching carousel and a rookie QB's rise.
The New Orleans Saints (6-11) had a roller coaster of a season. It can almost be broken into two halves: the pre-Tyler Shough era and post-Shough starting decision era of 2025.
Shough was a backup for the first eight games. In those games, the team went 1-7 while head coach Kellen Moore developed Shough behind the scenes. The last nine games saw the Saints' on field product flourish as the New Orleans offense took flight with Shough as starter. The team would go 5-4 with its new quarterback, including four consecutive wins during their last five games before dropping the season finale to the Atlanta Falcons.
James Dator of "SB Nation" ranked Moore among other NFL head coaches in regard to job security. In short, Moore probably isn't going anywhere. Dator discussed why he ranked Moore No. 16 in job security among NFL head coaches.
"It looked like Kellen Moore was stepping into a difficult situation when he took the job with the New Orleans Saints. The team was in a tenuous salary cap position, and Derek Carr was expected to be their quarterback. That situation grew tougher when Carr retired, leaving Moore with Spencer Rattler and incoming rookie Tyler Shough as his two quarterback options. But after starting Rattler to open the season Moore turned to Shough, who showed enough down the stretch to likely secure that job into 2025. Not only that, but the Saints won four of their final five games, ending the year with some momentum. That closing run, and the promise heading into next season, give him some security."
Ahead of Moore are postseason contending and proven coaches. Typically, that looks better than going 6-11 with one season of track record. Even so, Moore's first season gave insight into what a Moore-led team could look like in the long term.
The question for some perhaps is which version of Moore is more likely to be the one the Saints see moving forward: the one that had the Saints 2-10 or the one that won four straight games with a rookie quarterback and several injured starters and key players. Perhaps the Saints would suggest, the Moore of the first 12 games is the same Moore you saw in the final five.
The New Orleans head coach was a steadying force for his team as it went through the lows of the 2025 season. In the end, the players bought in and finished the season with several wins.
Moore's job seems secure. The Saints head coach will look to further implement his system in 2026.