Saints To Hire Doug Nussmeier As OC
Doug Nussmeier is indeed set to continue working with Kellen Moore in 2025. The Saints are hiring Nussmeier as their offensive coordinator, as first reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. 
Earlier this week, it became clear Moore and the Saints were aiming to hire Nussmeier. The two will continue working together in New Orleans as Moore takes on his first career head coaching gig. The Eagles, of course, have already filled their OC vacancy.
Especially after Mike McCarthy was out of the running for the Saints’ head coaching gig, Moore became the top name to watch. New Orleans arranged to speak with him after the Super Bowl, and at that point Nussmeier’s name was mentioned as a strong contender to join Moore in New Orleans. The two have worked alongside each other with the Cowboys, Chargers and Eagles (Moore’s previous OC destinations) and that will continue next season.
Nussmeier’s coaching career dates back to 2001, and on five occasions he operated as an offensive coordinator at the college level. This will be the 54-year-old’s first OC opportunity in the NFL, albeit with a familiar face alongside him. Moore has already confirmed, to no surprise, that he will call plays as head coach.
The Saints’ offense features a number of questions at the moment, and the future of quarterback Derek Carr is uncertain as things stand. Even if the veteran remains in place for 2025, strong play up front will be needed in addition to increased efficiency through the air. During Klint Kubiak‘s one-and-done campaign at the helm, New Orleans ranked 23rd in passing yards. A healthy season from Carr (presuming he is not cut or traded) will help in that department, but in any event Nussmeier’s background as a quarterbacks coach will make him a key figure on Moore’s staff for whichever passer the team uses in 2025.
Other moves have been made in recent days as part of Moore’s efforts to quickly build a staff after taking on head coaching duties in the wake of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. The Saints’ defensive coordinator position has not been filled yet, but attention can now turn in that direction with Nussmeier in the fold.
Saints Promote Phil Galiano To STC
The Saint are promoting Phil Galiano to serve as special teams coordinator on Kellen Moore‘s new staff, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Galiano joined the Saints in 2019 as an assistant special teams coach under coordinator Darren Rizzi. After Rizzi left New Orleans to reunite with Sean Payton in Denver, Galiano became the obvious candidate to take over the Saints’ special teams operations. He has an extensive history with Rizzi, so the Saints will maintain some continuity on special teams heading into 2025.
Galiano has 25 years of coaching experience across the college and pro ranks. He served in a variety of roles at the college level, including a three-year stretch as FIU’s defensive coordinator and three different stints at Rutgers, where he coached several different position groups and even spent a year as the director of recruiting in 2015.
In the NFL, however, Galiano has focused on special teams. He was the Buccaneers’ assistant special teams coach in 2012 and 2013 and a special teams intern with the Dolphins in 2016. Galiano spent the next two years at Penn State, first as a defensive consultant in 2017, then as a special teams coach and assistant defensive line coach in 2018.
Rizzi then recruited Galiano to join him in New Orleans after the two overlapped on coaching staffs at Rutgers and in Miami. Rizzi was Rutgers’ special teams coordinator from 2002 to 2007 while Galiano was a defensive assistant. They worked closely together in Miami, where Galiano was an intern on Rizzi’s special teams staff.
Moore has now filled two of his three coordinator spots in addition to a variety of assistant roles. The Saints are still deciding on their next defensive coordinator, with ex-Chargers head coach Brandon Staley considered a favorite for the job.
Saints Hire Scott Tolzien, T.J. Paganetti; Team ‘Zeroing In’ On Doug Nussmeier As OC
Like many coordinators who get head coaching opportunities, Kellen Moore is bringing multiple members of his staff in Philadelphia to his new job in New Orleans.
The Saints “are currently working to finalize a deal” to make Doug Nussmeier their next offensive coordinator, per veteran NFL insider Josina Anderson. Nussmeier spent 2024 as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach and is considered the frontrunner for the job position in New Orleans. He previously coached quarterbacks for the Chargers and the Cowboys. Nussmeier also served as offensive coordinator for several major college programs from 2008 to 2017, including Alabama, Florida, and Michigan.
Nussmeier isn’t the only top Eagles assistant following Moore to New Orleans. The Saints are also hiring Eagles run game specialist and assistant offensive line coach T.J. Paganetti, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. He has spent the last eight seasons in Philadelphia, working closely with legendary Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. Paganetti will likely take over as the Saints’ offensive line coach after John Benton followed Klint Kubiak to Seattle.
Moore is hiring another familiar face to serve as quarterbacks coach in Scott Tolzien, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Tolzien was an assistant in Dallas when Moore was the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator from 2020 to 2022. Tolzien was promoted to quarterbacks coach after Moore moved on in 2023, but was not expected to be retained on Brian Schottenheimer‘s new staff.
Tolzien, a former NFL quarterback himself, will help the Saints navigate an uncertain quarterback situation this year. Derek Carr performed well in 2024, but struggled to stay healthy. His durability will remain a concern entering his age-34 season – if he even stays on the roster – but neither Spencer Rattler nor Jake Haener inspired much confidence in 2024. The Saints’ cap situation will hinder them in the free agent quarterback market, and the draft’s top quarterbacks will likely go before their first round pick (No. 9 overall).
Seahawks Add Justin Outten, Rick Dennison To Staff
FEBRUARY 18: In addition to the Outten hire, the expected move of bringing in Dennison is now official. The former will have the title of assistant offensive line coach in addition to his run-game specialist role, while the latter will work as Seattle’s run-game coordinator.
FEBRUARY 13: Two former offensive coordinators are joining Klint Kubiak in Seattle. The Seahawks are adding Justin Outten to their coaching staff, and Rick Dennison is believed to be joining him.
This will be a reunion among ex-Broncos, as Dennison coached with Gary Kubiak during both the latter’s Denver coaching stints (the latter of which involving Klint). Outten and Klint Kubiak were together on a rather memorable 2022 Broncos staff. Outten is coming aboard as a run-game specialist, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.
[RELATED: Seahawks Hire Klint Kubiak As OC]
Dennison, who is following Klint from New Orleans (per the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta), received Saints permission to interview with the Seahawks, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo add. Teams can block contracted assistants from leaving, but with the Saints changing coaching staffs, it is not too surprising they let Dennison explore other options.
Although coordinators regularly have leeway to bring in assistants, the Seahawks signing off in reuniting the two right-hand men on offense during Nathaniel Hackett‘s disastrous Broncos season is interesting. Both Kubiak and Outten called plays at points that season, with Hackett initially going around Outten to give play-calling duties — as the Broncos struggled mightily in Russell Wilson‘s debut — to his QBs coach. After the Broncos fired Hackett, Outten called plays during the team’s final two games.
A former Packers staffer, Outten spent the past two seasons on the Titans’ staff. He served as Tennessee’s running backs coach and run-game coordinator in 2023 and was retained under new HC Brian Callahan last season, when he coached tight ends. The Titans had planned to move on this offseason. It appears this Seattle role will be closer to his 2023 position, as the Seahawks look to generate more from their run game after Mike Macdonald expressed concern about it upon firing OC Ryan Grubb.
Dennison, 66, has spent much of his career working with the Kubiaks. A teammate of Gary’s in the 1980s and ’90s with the Broncos, Dennison coached on Mike Shanahan‘s staff alongside his former teammate from 1995-2005. Dennison stayed in Denver after Kubiak landed the Houston HC job in 2006, replacing his colleague as Broncos OC. Kubiak then hired him as Texans OC in 2010. Dennison coached with Gary Kubiak again in Baltimore and back in Denver, where he reprised his role as Broncos OC from 2015-16. While Denver’s Super Bowl-winning team is best remembered for its defense, Dennison was a key presence during the one-year Kubiak-Peyton Manning overlap.
Dennison worked with both Kubiaks in Minnesota and then rejoined Klint as part of the 2024 Saints’ staff, serving as a senior offensive assistant. Dennison has been an NFL staffer for 28 years. While the Seahawks have 30-somethings at HC and OC, they now have two 60-somethings (Dennison, Leslie Frazier) as key advisors.
Additionally, the Seahawks are adding Michael Byrne to their staff as an offensive assistant. Byrne is also following Klint Kubiak from New Orleans and also worked with the new Seattle OC at Texas A&M during the early 2010s. An analytics-geared staffer, Byrne also spent time with Pro Football Focus.
Doug Nussmeier Favorite For Saints’ OC Position; Joel Thomas Returning To Staff
Three of the staffers connected to the Saints’ offensive coordinator vacancy are currently with the Eagles. To no surprise, one of them is in pole position to join Kellen Moore in New Orleans.
Philadelphia quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier is seen as the favorite at this point, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports. While nothing is imminent, he adds the situation is likely heading toward Nussmeier taking on the position. This would represent his first OC opportunity at the NFL level.
Nussmeier’s coaching career began in the CFL, and he has experience at a number of levels as a QBs coach. The 54-year-old also handled coordinator duties at five different college programs from 2008-17 before beginning his time in the NFL. During his time with the Cowboys, Chargers and Eagles, Nussmeier has overlapped with Moore with the latter operating as offensive coordinator.
Moore now has his first head coaching gig, and once it became clear he would depart the Eagles to join the Saints Nussmeier’s name came up as a logical candidate to join him. As expected, Moore will call plays in 2025, but his coordinator hires will of course be key as he puts together his initial staff. That process will include a return to New Orleans for a familiar staffer.
Running backs coach Joel Thomas is set to join the Saints once again, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Thomas spent the 2024 campaign coaching the Giants’ running backs, but he will now make the lateral move back to New Orleans after working there from 2015-23. Brian Daboll will once again need to find a replacement at the RBs coach spot, something which has become an annual endeavor during the hiring cycle.
With Thomas in the fold and Nussmeier the top name to watch on the OC front, here is how the Saints’ coordinator search is shaping up:
- Kevin Koger, tight ends coach (Falcons): Rejected interview request
- Doug Nussmeier, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/16; favorite?
- Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Robert Prince, receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 2/15
- Jemal Singleton, assistant head coach/running backs coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/17
Saints Conduct OC Interview With Eagles’ Jemal Singleton
The list of Saints targets for their offensive coordinator vacancy continues to grow. To no surprise, the latest name to emerge is another Eagles staffer.
New Orleans has conducted an interview with Jemal Singleton, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. That makes him the third member of the Eagles’ staff connected to the possibility of joining Kellen Moore on his new team. Of course, Singleton could be a among the candidates to take over from Moore as the Super Bowl LIX winners’ next offensive coordinator if he were to remain with the Eagles.
The 49-year-old began his coaching tenure in the college ranks, spending time at three programs from 2000 to 2015. Singleton spent a pair of seasons coaching the Colts’ running backs before doing the same for one year with the Raiders. He then moved on to the Bengals, staying there for the 2019 and ’20 campaigns. Since 2021, he has held the role of RBs coach with the Eagles.
In addition to those responsibilities, though, Singleton has served as Philadelphia’s assistant head coach during his time with the team. Losing him would deal a blow to Nick Sirianni‘s staff, but joining Moore in New Orleans would give Singleton the opportunity to operate as a coordinator for the first time in his career. Given the strong play of Saquon Barkley in 2024, expectations would be high in the run game for the Saints if they were to move forward with a hire on this front.
With the Combine and free agency approaching, Moore and the Saints have a number of key decisions to make, including how to proceed with quarterback Derek Carr. Before a final call is made in that department, though, Moore will look to fill out his staff, including the hiring of a non-play-caller at the OC spot.
Via PFR’s Coordinator Search Tracker, here is an updated look at where things stand with the Saints:
- Kevin Koger, tight ends coach (Falcons): Rejected interview request
- Doug Nussmeier, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate; Interviewed 2/16
- Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Robert Prince, receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 2/15
- Jemal Singleton, assistant head coach/running backs coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/17
Saints Interviewing Two DC Candidates, Doug Nussmeier Today
4:18pm: Nussmeier’s interview will also take place today, Rapoport notes. As the Saints continue to move through their coordinator search process, a hire on both fronts could be made sometime in the coming days depending on how wide of a net the team casts.
12:20pm: The Saints and new head coach Kellen Moore continue to search for his first coordinators in New Orleans. Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated tells us that the team will interview 49ers assistant head coach Brandon Staley and Eagles passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker for the defensive coordinator position today. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network adds that Eagles quarterbacks coach Doug Nussmeier will interview for the offensive coordinator role this week. 
Staley and Nussmeier have both already been mentioned as potential candidates for the two respective jobs. Staley was Moore’s boss in 2023 when the former served as the Chargers’ head coach. Staley was fired by the Chargers following two-plus seasons with the organization. He finished his head coaching stint with a 24-24 record, including a single one-and-done playoff appearance. Prior to his stint with the Chargers, Staley served as the defensive coordinator with the Rams in 2020. He also previously served as linebackers coach for the Broncos and Bears. Though Staley didn’t interview for any other defensive coordinator jobs this offseason, he was mentioned as a candidate for the role with his current team.
Nussmeier and Moore coached together in Dallas from 2018-22, with the former moving from tight ends coach to quarterbacks coach during that span. Moore brought Nussmeier with him to Los Angeles when he took over as Chargers offensive coordinator under Staley in 2023. That stint did not go especially well, but the Eagles allowed Moore to bring Nussmeier alongside him to Philadelphia, where Jalen Hurts led the team to a Super Bowl title. Before their time together in Dallas, Nussmeier served as an offensive coordinator for five college programs — including Alabama, Michigan, and Florida — from 2008-17.
Aside from his connections to Moore, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out that Nussmeier also has a familial connection to Louisiana. Nussmeier’s son, Garrett Nussmeier, is set to enter his second year as the starting quarterback at LSU in relatively nearby Baton Rouge. After finishing fifth in the nation in passing yards per game for the Tigers in 2024, Garrett is considered a top prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. There is one more connection, as well, as the elder Nussmeier’s only two years as an NFL quarterback saw him play in New Orleans.
Parker, 33, interviewed for the Patriots and Packers’ DC jobs last offseason, but likely due to the Eagles’ deep playoff run, he didn’t attend any interviews in this cycle. Before heading to Philadelphia last year, he was a valued staffer in Denver, working in the same defensive backs coaching role under Vic Fangio, Nathaniel Hackett, and Sean Payton. In Denver, Parker oversaw the likes of Justin Simmons and Patrick Surtain. In Philadelphia, Parker mentored a defense that allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL last year due in part to rookie cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who finished second and fourth, respectively, in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Here is how the offensive coordinator search is shaping up so far:
- Kevin Koger, tight ends coach (Falcons): Rejected interview request
- Doug Nussmeier, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate; To interview 2/16
- Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Robert Prince, receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 2/15
And here’s a look at the defensive coordinator search:
- George Edwards, outside linebackers coach (Buccaneers): Mentioned as candidate
- Daronte Jones, defensive pass-game coordinator (Vikings): To interview 1/15
- Christian Parker, passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach (Eagles): Interviewed 2/16
- Brandon Staley, assistant head coach (49ers): Lead candidate?; Interviewed 2/16
2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team
Free agency is roughly one month away, and teams are preparing for the first major roster-building checkpoint on the offseason calendar. In several cases, of course, the lead-in to the start of the new league year will require cost-cutting measures.
Teams expect the 2025 cap ceiling to check in somewhere between $265MM and $275MM, providing a general target to aim for before the final figure is unveiled by the NFL. Using a projected cap of $272.5MM, here is a look at where all 32 teams currently stand (courtesy of Over the Cap):
- New England Patriots: $119.8MM
- Las Vegas Raiders: $92.53MM
- Washington Commanders: $75.21MM
- Arizona Cardinals: $71.33MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $63.41MM
- Chicago Bears: $62.97MM
- Minnesota Vikings: $58.01MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $53.26MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $46.26MM
- Detroit Lions: $45.69MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $44.26MM
- Tennessee Titans: $44.08MM
- New York Giants: $43.38MM
- Green Bay Packers: $42.14MM
- Los Angeles Rams: $38.33MM
- Denver Broncos: $34.78MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32.27MM
- Indianapolis Colts: $28.25MM
- Carolina Panthers: $20.33MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.08MM
- New York Jets: $16.86MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $5.96MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $2.24MM
- Houston Texans: $99K over the cap
- Kansas City Chiefs: $916K over
- Dallas Cowboys: $2.85MM over
- Miami Dolphins: $5.44MM over
- Atlanta Falcons: $11.15MM over
- Seattle Seahawks: $13.46MM over
- Buffalo Bills: $14.18MM over
- Cleveland Browns: $30.17MM over
- New Orleans Saints: $54.11MM over
These figures will of course change based on where the final cap ceiling winds up for the year, but they take into 
account each team’s carryover amount for 2025. Even with those savings in play, more than one quarter of the league finds itself in need of cost-shedding moves to simply achieve cap compliance by mid-March.
With the Patriots leading the way in terms of spending power, they will be a team to watch closely once free agency begins. The team’s willingness (or lack thereof) to make major free agent additions last year was a talking point, and it will be interesting to see if the regime featuring de facto general manager Eliot Wolf and new head coach Mike Vrabel takes a different approach in 2025. A serious push for Tee Higgins – by far the most sought-after wideout set to hit the market – can be expected.
Aside from Higgins, the Bengals have a number of financial priorities. Working out a monster extension for fellow receiver Ja’Marr Chase and a new deal (and accompanying raise) for edge rusher Trey Hendrickson are key goals for the franchise. Quarterback Joe Burrow is prepared to restructure his own pact to create cap space for this offseason, but the team will no doubt need to break with tradition in terms of contract structure and guarantees to keep its core intact.
The Colts’ offseason has been defined in large part by a focus on retaining in-house players during recent years. That approach has not paid off as hoped, and general manager Chris Ballard said last month he plans to oversee a shift in roster-building philosophy this year. With the finances to make at least a modest addition or two on the open market, Indianapolis could be a suitor for some of the middle-class free agent options.
Over the coming weeks, many teams will proceed with extensions and restructures to free up cap space; the Seahawks recently took the latter route with defensive lineman Leonard Williams. Teams like the Steelers (in the case of edge rusher Preston Smith) and Dolphins (with running back Raheem Mostert as well as corner Kendall Fuller and tight end Durham Smythe) have already begin cutting veterans to free up cap space. That will increasingly continue in the near future with respect to the teams currently slated to be over the cap in particular.
Saints Conduct OC Interview With Dolphins’ Robert Prince
Robert Prince took a new position with the Dolphins as part of this year’s hiring cycle. He could be on the move once again, though. 
Prince has received an interview request from the Saints for their vacant offensive coordinator position, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. The parties will speak tonight, he adds. Prince took the role of wide receivers coach with Miami in January, but joining the Saints would allow him to work as a coordinator for the first time in his career.
Prince started his NFL coaching tenure with the 49ers and Chargers as part of the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship. His first full-time position came with the Falcons, and in three years there he held a number of roles. Prince spent a pair of seasons as the Jaguars’ assistant WRs coach before leading that position group with the Seahawks 2009.
The Lions brought in Prince to coach their receivers the following year, and he remained with the team through 2020. The 59-year-old occupied that same role for a single campaign with the Texans before making an intra-state move to the Cowboys. In 2024, Prince had pass-game coordinator added to his title.
With Dallas moving in a different direction (to an extent) on the sidelines this offseason, though, Prince was among the staffers who changed teams. His decision to join the Dolphins set him up to work with a group headlined by Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but that would of course change if he took New Orleans’ OC position. New Saints head coach Kellen Moore confirmed in his introductory press conference that he will call plays on offense, which comes as little surprise given his OC background. Still, his search for Klint Kubiak‘s replacement is a key part of the process of building his first staff as a head coach.
Via PFR’s OC/DC Tracker, here is an updated look at the Saints’ offensive coordinator search:
- Kevin Koger, tight ends coach (Falcons): Rejected interview request
- Doug Nussmeier, quarterbacks coach (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Kevin Patullo, pass-game coordinator (Eagles): Mentioned as candidate
- Robert Prince, receivers coach (Dolphins): Interviewed 2/15
Saints Request DC Interview With Vikings’ Daronte Jones
TODAY, 12:20pm: Daronte Jones will be interviewing for the Saints DC job today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
THURSDAY, 10:55am: The list of candidates for the Saints’ defensive coordinator position continues to grow. Daronte Jones has received an interview request, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. 
Jones has worked with the Vikings for the past three years and four overall. His first Minnesota title was that of defensive backs coach, but since 2023 he has worked as the team’s defensive pass-game coordinator. Jones was previously linked to the Bears’ and Jaguars’ defensive coordinator gigs during this year’s hiring cycle.
New Orleans had Joe Woods at the defensive coordinator spot for the past two years. His unit finished eighth in points allowed in 2023, but a regression took place this past campaign. With head coach Dennis Allen being fired midway through the season, it came as little surprise several Saints staffers departed in search of new opportunities. That includes Woods, who is in place on Pete Carroll‘s Raiders staff.
Jones, 46, began his coaching career at Lenoir-Rhyne; for three years after that, however, he worked in Louisiana at the collegiate and high school levels. His coaching tenure also includes a one-year stint as LSU’s defensive coordinator, although he has not held a DC position at the NFL level. That possibility could exist based on how his interview with new head coach Kellen Moore goes.
With that said, it was learned before the Moore hire was made that Brandon Staley was a leading contender for the Saints’ DC position. The two worked together with the Chargers in 2023, and a reunion would see Staley – whose resume includes one year as the Rams’ defensive coordinator, three at the helm of the Bolts and, most recently, an assistant head coach title with the 49ers – tasked with guiding a Saints rebound on defense. In addition to Staley and now Jones, Buccaneers outside linebackers coach George Edwards is a name to watch.