In the least surprising move of the coaching cycle, Kellen Moore accepted the Saints job less than 48 hours after winning Super Bowl LIX with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The move could be seen coming for days, if not weeks. New Orleans had waited for Moore's Eagles to finish their season before making an offer to a candidate, and given the fact the Super Bowl took place in the Big Easy, their meeting seemed to be little more than a formality.
Once the Eagles capped their memorable season with a triumph on the game's biggest stage, all that was left was to finalize the details of Moore's new employment with the Saints, and he didn't even need to board a flight to do so. Now, he'll get to work on assembling a staff with the goal of placing the Saints on a track toward success.
Moore leaves behind a group that is undoubtedly appreciative of his contributions, and also a little disappointed it didn't last longer. Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert spoke glowingly of Moore during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday while admitting he joined his coach, Nick Sirianni, in making a last-ditch plea to Moore to stick around for one more year.
"I expect him to be a great head coach in this league," Goedert said. "I talked to him after the Super Bowl and gave him my spiel on why he should come back and run it back with us one more year, but incredibly happy for him.
"He was an important part of this run. I'm happy for him that he got the coaching job and wish him all the success anytime he's not playing the Eagles. But I wish he would've stayed one more year with us."
It shouldn't come as a surprise to hear Goedert say good things about Moore, who happened to call an excellent game in his final outing as Eagles offensive coordinator before taking the Saints job. As the tight end said during Super Bowl LIX Opening Night, "he'd be a good head coach, but I like him as my OC."
Instead, the Eagles will be in the market for a new OC for a second straight offseason. This time around, though, they'll do so from a much better position: as Super Bowl champions and owners of one of the most desirable openings in football.