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

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.

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.

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.

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:

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

Temple student Tyler Sabapathy has died from injuries he sustained after falling from a light pole during a celebration of the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl berth, the school announced. He was 18.

Kellen Moore missed out on landing the Cowboys job but could be the front-runner for the New Orleans Saints after the Eagles dismantled the Commanders on Sunday afternoon, and Mike McCarthy decided to focus on 2026.

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.