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New Orleans Saints introduce Kellen Moore as the head coach. Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Saints could be one of NFL's most fascinating 2025 experiments

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Mar 11, 2025 4:58 PM ET

How much does coaching matter? The 2025 Saints will provide an answer.

Instead of undergoing a rebuild under first-year head coach Kellen Moore after a disappointing 5-12 season, New Orleans is leaning on continuity to produce better results.

On Tuesday, the second day of the NFL's legal tampering period, the Saints began restructuring several contracts of 2024 contributors, including starting linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell listed others whose contracts were reworked, including quarterback Derek Carr, center Erik McCoy, guard Cesar Ruiz, defensive tackle Khalen Saunders and defensive end Carl Granderson.

I’m told the Saints also reworked the contracts of Pete Werner and Demario Davis. So in total: Ramczyk, Carr, McCoy, Granderson, Ruiz, Saunders, Werner and Davis have had contracts reworked. The new league year begins Wednesday.
— Katherine Terrell (@kat-terrell.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T17:14:21.957Z

Late Monday evening, the Saints agreed to a three-year, $51 million extension (worth as much as $57 million) with defensive end Chase Young.

Sources: The Saints are bringing back a key piece of their defense, agreeing to terms with Chase Young on a 3-year, $51M deal with a chance to reach $57M, a source says. And back at the table at 28.

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— Ian Rapoport (@rapsheet1.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 8:21 PM

On Tuesday, the Saints revised safety Tyrann Mathieu's contract, keeping him in New Orleans for the 2025 season.

Tyrann Mathieu and the Saints have agreed to a reworked deal that will keep him in New Orleans this season, according a source. The deal will lower Mathieu's salary against the cap this year but he has upside of up to $7.2 million.
— Nick Underhill (@nickunderhill.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T18:34:45.311Z

New Orleans also re-signed tight end Juwan Johnson to a three-year, $30.75 million (maximum $34.5 million) deal.

The Saints are re-signing TE Juwan Johnson to a three-year, $30.75 million deal that can be worth up to $34.5 million, per source.
— Dianna Russini (@diannarussini.bsky.social) 2025-03-11T19:30:52.131Z

If that feels like too many holdovers for an aging team that's missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons, that's because it is.

If New Orleans will have better fortune this season, it will be because of its change in coaching staff. The Saints hired Moore following a one-year stint as offensive coordinator for the Eagles, where he won Super Bowl LIX. He replaced Dennis Allen, originally promoted after Sean Payton's mini-retirement in 2022, who has a 26-53 record in two coaching stints.

It's hard to imagine Moore, 36, being a downgrade from Allen, but no one's ever labeled the young offensive mind as a miracle worker.

By maintaining the status quo on the field, New Orleans forces Moore to cook with ingredients he didn't buy. With the diminishing returns in recent seasons, the Saints' chronic refusal to let go of the past costs them their future unless Moore can whip up a five-star meal where Allen served slop.

But that feels like an unlikely end to New Orleans' upcoming season. Instead, it's more realistic that the Saints remain mediocre, neither good enough to play meaningful December games nor bad enough to land a potentially franchise-altering draft pick.

The Saints are running a bold and probably unwise test with their 2025 campaign. Like any haphazard experiment, it could blow up in their face.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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