KELLEN MOORE THOUGHT he was always meant to be on a football sideline.
He toddled after his father Tom Moore as a child, and watched as his dad coached the Prosser High School football team to four state titles in Washington from 1992 until he stepped down as head coach in 2009. As Kellen got older, he was given roles: tee boy, ball boy, water boy and then he eventually became a player.
"That was what my childhood was," Moore told ESPN in an exclusive interview this summer.
Moore studied his dad's way of doing things. He noted his organization and how he ran his practices with quickness and efficiency. Moore pictured himself following in his father's footsteps one day, and when Kellen was named the New Orleans Saints head coach, he immediately cited his influence.
"I can't begin to express how thankful I am for the opportunity to be the head coach of the Saints, but really that dream started a long time ago being a kid from Prosser, Washington, and my dad was our head football coach, and so that was my foundation as a coach," Moore said in his opening news conference. "I always wanted to be a football coach."
That day has come quicker than even he might have thought.
Moore, 37, will be the youngest active head coach in the NFL when the Saints host the Arizona Cardinals (1 p.m. ET, CBS) on Sunday. He was hired on Feb. 11, 2025, two days after the offensive coordinator led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 40-22 Super Bowl win against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans. That result has fueled hope that Moore, through his coaching style and playcalling, can revamp the once prolific Saints offense.
With Moore at the helm -- a position he has been closely learning from for more than three decades as his father taught him -- can the Saints get back into the postseason for the first time since 2020?
WHEN THE 2024 season ended in January, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis identified injuries as one of the main problems in a 5-12 season.
Starting quarterback Derek Carr missed seven games, Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy missed 10, running back Alvin Kamara missed the final three, tight end Taysom Hill missed nine games, and the two best receivers, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, missed a combined 20 games.
"What jumps out as the amount of injuries and we've got to do a deep dive into that," Loomis said after the season. "Are there things that are preventable? Are there things that we missed in the evaluation process, for example? So all that is work that needs to be done."
To address the injury issue head-on, Moore hired Ted Rath, who was formerly vice president of player performance for the Eagles, as the Saints' director of sports performance. Rath and Moore's connection goes back to Detroit, when Rath was an assistant strength and conditioning coach during Moore's playing days. Moore joined the Lions as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012 and spent three seasons there as Matthew Stafford's backup.
Rath and Moore's idea of training camp was a schedule that prioritized players' health. That meant instead of grinding through practice for days on end, the staff analyzed data trackers in the players' jerseys to determine whether the next day would be a red, yellow, or green day, with red indicating they needed to back off. Players raved about their ability to recover and how their bodies felt in camp.
"Even though training camp, I didn't have a day where I was like 'Oh, I'm destroyed," said guard Cesar Ruiz. "... You'll never feel the 'I'm destroyed and can't go' type of day."
Moore said that he felt Rath put together a schedule where the players trained "really, really hard but really, really smart at the same time."
"We're really conscious of being really efficient and the workloads that go into this and so Ted Rath is one of the best in the business," Moore said.
The 2020 NFL collective bargaining agreement put limitations on the total number of practices, time spent in pads and length of practices. But Moore and his staff didn't always use the full allotment allowed, sometimes ending practice earlier than the scheduled time. But at other times, Moore would test the players' stamina, including a 126-play scrimmage in the Louisiana heat.
"Don't get it wrong. We grinded our tails off," Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks said. "So we put the work in there. I think that goes back to what Kellen says, 'When we go, we go, but he'll take care of [us].'"
Even during the lighter days, Moore's practices used every minute and there was little standing around or wasting time. Moore had a reason for doing everything. He had officials at practice daily, a new addition to Saints' camp but something some teams, like the Cowboys and Eagles, have done for several years. He also incorporated TV timeouts to get the players' bodies used to game-like scenarios.
Moore's practices today are a reflection of how his dad once ran his teams. There were no three-hour-long practices at Prosser just for the sake of it.
"Everything had a purpose. The practices were really organized. They ... didn't waste a bunch of time," Moore said. "There's an objective and let's go. There's an element of 'Be creative, be innovative, be willing to try new things, but you've got to be simple enough to let your guys play."
MOORE'S FOOTBALL CHILDHOOD did more than just instill a love of the game. It also helped turn him into an X's and O's whiz kid.
"We call him Rain Man," said Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, citing Moore's "phenomenal" recall for remembering plays and a reference to the 1998 film.
Moore's recall and studying habits helped him to a record-setting career at Prosser High, where he still holds single-season records for yards (4,600) and touchdown passes (67). It helped him at Boise State, where he won 50 games (including a 3-1 bowl record), the most of any quarterback in college football history.
He finished fourth in the 2010 Heisman Trophy voting behind Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oregon running back LaMichael James.
Moore doesn't have a specific favorite play he's called, but said there are a few of which he's proud.
"You're always chasing these fun trick plays, and those ones always remind yourself when [Cedrick Wilson Jr. is] throwing a couple passes in Dallas, Dak [Prescott] caught one that was fun against the Giants," Moore said.
Moore said one of the fun playcalls came against the Jacksonville Jaguars last season when the Eagles handed the ball to running back Saquon Barkley on third-and-17 and he scored a 19-yard touchdown.
"We kind of looked at each other [like] that actually worked? It had more to do with Saquon being the running back, anything," Moore said. "There's always fun moments like that."
Moore said he loves digging deep into the process of designing a game plan.
Another thing he said he loves is how confidence grows during a game week as problems are identified and solutions are raised.
"And then I think there's always that element of joy when you feel like, OK, you get to Saturday, there's a walk-through and everyone kind of feels like, OK, everyone knows the plan," Moore said.
MOORE WILL BE dealing with a lot more than playcalling this season.
He'll have to manage the 53-man roster and more than 60 personalities, but he's already had on-the-job training in that aspect. Moore's first NFL job was coaching quarterbacks for the Dallas Cowboys in 2018, a team he'd played for for three seasons from 2015 to '17.
Moore backed up Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for two seasons before becoming his coach after Moore's retirement from playing.
"When you first get into it, and I was a quarterback in the quarterback room, you're all about the X's and O's and all the scheme-y stuff and that's like a passion of yours," Moore said. "But then there's so much more, [in] the interpersonal aspect between the coaching staff working together, the players connecting everyone. That aspect of it becomes so much more important probably than you anticipate."
Moore doesn't have the brash personality of Sean Payton or even the bluntness of Darren Rizzi, who took over as interim coach when Dennis Allen was fired Nov. 4, 2024. Moore is softer-spoken, even-keeled and closer in age to his players than the past three Saints coaches, all of whom were in their 40s or older during their stints.
Moore looks up to former Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who was both his coach and his boss for two seasons. Garrett, a former undrafted quarterback himself who played in the NFL, traveled a similar path when he joined Nick Saban's coaching staff with the Miami Dolphins just a few months after his playing career ended in 2005.
"Jason was awesome for me because he was a young coach. He got into it the same way I did, as far as he played and then he went right into a quarterback coach and then I think he was two years later, he was the OC in Dallas," Moore said of Garrett, who was 44 years old when he became an NFL head coach. "He was just a great resource because he had been there at a younger age as well."
Moore said one of the biggest things players want is clear expectations and consistency.
"As long as you're consistent, they know who you are and they know where your tone changes and how it changes," Moore said " ...You don't have to have a yelling match about something just because they didn't meet the standard. You've got to communicate it. And guys care about: Are you making them become the best version of yourself? And if they feel like you're helping them become the best version, that's what all these guys ultimately want."
Consistency is something multiple members of Moore's staff have mentioned when asked what they appreciate about working with him.
Nussmeier, who has worked with Moore at five different stops since 2005, is one of several assistant coaches that didn't hesitate to sign on to lead the Saints' offense.
"All leaders come in different shapes and forms, and I think probably the biggest mistake some make is they try and be somebody that they're not," Nussmeier said. "Kellen is who he is and he's very comfortable in his own skin and people appreciate that about him because you know what you're going to get every day. In our industry, consistency is critical."
Quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien, who previously worked with Moore in Dallas from 2020 to '22, said Moore's consistency has stood out as an asset. Tolzien said Moore is the "same guy every day."
"You're not going to see an emotional roller coaster out of him. He's super steady and I appreciate that," said Tolzien, 37. "There's no surprises with him. He is a super positive guy, but yet he's super detailed and he's a really, really smart dude. I mean, he can handle a lot of things on his plate at once and that's something, being roughly the same age, I'm always amazed."
A FEW WEEKS before the Saints were set to open the season, Moore reflected on his career path.
Sitting in his office at the team facility, he recalled how he had envisioned himself as a college football coach. His time at Boise State was such a positive experience that he figured he would make his way back to the college ranks.
Moore was tied to the Boise State head coach opening when the job was available prior to the 2021 season, but he ended up signing a contract extension to remain the Cowboys' offensive coordinator.
"I love Boise State. I will always root for them, and I hope one day to be a part of the program again," Moore said in a statement released by the Cowboys at the time.
Moore said he feels fortunate to be in this position now. "[The] journey takes you down some different paths. I'm thankful for everything that's happened to me," he said.
Moore leaned on his various experiences to come up with core values for his NFL coaching career, some of which he discussed publicly at LSU's coaching clinic in the spring.
"Together, joy and tough," are the three words that he used to describe his coaching philosophy.
He's talked about it a lot with his team, explaining that a football team can't win when one person tries to go at it alone. Physical and mental toughness are key aspects.
"You just got to be your best regardless of circumstances. And that's a big portion of this, because there's going to be highs and lows [throughout]," Moore said.
The "joy" aspect is borrowed from coach Steve Kerr and the Golden State Warriors. Kerr, who has won four NBA titles as a coach, has publicly used it as one of his coaching mindsets.
"There's just a joy element to playing a kids' game for a living, have some fun doing this hopefully, and enjoy the journey, enjoy the highs, the lows, the practices, the games, enjoy the road trips. ... There's a lot of challenges associated with this profession, both players and coaches and everyone associated with it. But there's an element of joy that we need to have doing it," Moore said.
Moore's first season will undoubtedly present new challenges, one of which happened almost immediately after his hiring. He said in March that he came on board with the idea that Carr, a veteran quarterback, would be playing in 2025.
"Certainly you take this job with the intentions of some of the top players being here and we felt very comfortable with him. ... I'm really, really excited to work with him," Moore said.
But Carr, citing a shoulder injury, was not around the facility in the spring and retired in May due to injury concerns.
That meant Moore would be going into the fall with an inexperienced quarterback. His best options were Spencer Rattler, who went 0-6 as a starter when Carr was injured last fall, or rookie Tyler Shough, a second-round draft pick. Instead of going with the Saints' draft pick, Moore opted for Rattler after a summerlong quarterback competition.
He got a second surprise when starting safety Tyrann Mathieu retired before training camp, but the Saints promptly signed Julian Blackmon to replace him. They also released longtime special teams standout and team captain J.T. Gray just this week.
The Saints are trying to fix a defensive unit that went sideways last season, finishing 31st in run defense, 27th in passing defense and 30th in total defense.
But Moore's assistants say that he hasn't been rattled by any of the changes.
Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, a former Los Angeles Chargers coach who hired Moore to be his offensive coordinator for the 2023 season there, joined Moore's staff this spring. He said Moore has had a "no flinch" attitude in both of their stops together.
"He's very consistent. And in this league you have to be because there's always so much happening," Staley said. "And I think he sets a great example for all of us."
Moore once watched his father build a powerhouse offense at Prosser. Now he hopes to use the lessons learned from his dad to bring the Saints' offense back to life as well.
When he joined the Saints, he offered players a "blank slate" after the tumultuous 2024 season. His first game against the Cardinals will be a solid litmus test on whether he can build on that promise, wipe away the past few seasons and get the Saints back to the playoffs.
"I think we're all excited. ... This is ultimately what you do, this whole offseason program to build up to the opportunity to play in regular-season games. These are the ones we want. Our guys have done a really good job. I think our guys are in a really good space, mentally, physically, they're ready to roll," Moore said Monday.