Mike McCarthy is seen as a prime New Orleans Saints head coach candidate, and he’s been described as the ‘opposite’ of Dennis Allen:

Mike McCarthy is out of the running for the New Orleans Saints' head coaching job and no longer plans to coach in 2025, ESPN reported late Tuesday. The Dallas Cowboys didn't renew the contract of McCarthy following a 7-10 season in 2024.

As the New Orleans Saints head into the offseason looking to bolster their roster, the team is also looking for their next head coach with one in mind being Mike McCarthy, who was at the helm for the Dallas Cowboys last season. While the Saints will interview McCarthy, NFL insider Adam Schefter spoke about how he makes the most sense for the role.

The reason: he was Johnson once. Allen, the Bears ’ new defensive coordinator, was a 39-year-old first-time head coach when the Raiders started their 2012 regular season. Johnson will be 39 when the Bears play their first game with him as their head coach.

Mike McCarthy is no longer planning to coach this year, sources told ESPN, while Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has emerged as a lead candidate for the Saints job, the last remaining head coach vacancy in the NFL.

The Chicago Bears are hiring former New Orleans Saints coach Dennis Allen as their next defensive coordinator and former Denver Broncos tight ends coach Declan Doyle as their offensive coordinator, NF

In his initial media scrum as a Bears coach, Allen described the type of defense he plans to bring to Chicago, which brings back similarities to defenses that have been well known through Bears history.

McCarthy is the third high-profile candidate to pull out of the Saints' search, joining Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

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.

Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.

New Orleans Saints could make a stunning move to hire Mike McCarthy as their new head ... The Saints, meanwhile, fired coach Dennis Allen in November after they lost to the Carolina Panthers.