If the Cowboys do bring back Kellen Moore, their history with Sean Payton may be part of the reason.
Jerry Jones has generally been able to hire and keep the guys he wants as coaches since he bought the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. But one coach he couldn’t hang on to was Sean Payton, whom Jones has expressed regret over losing in the years since. Now looking for a new head coach in 2025, could Jones think of Payton when he considers bringing Kellen Moore back into the organization?
Brief history lesson if you need it; Payton was Dallas’ quarterbacks coach and handled some other assistant duties on Bill Parcells’ staff from 2003-2005. He was valued enough that when teams began inquiring about making him their offensive coordinator during that run, Jones raised his pay. But in 2006, the New Orleans Saints offered their head coaching job and that finally pulled Payton away from the Cowboys.
A year later, Parcells retired and Payton had just been named Coach of the Year. The “one who got away” narrative began instantly, especially since Parcells didn’t project to last much longer in Dallas at the time Payton left. But mostly thanks to bad timing, Payton was ready to move up before the Cowboys had an opening.
In 2009, Payton led the Saints to a Super Bowl championship and many NFC South titles and playoff appearances during an impressive 16-year run. He was suspended for the 2012 season for “Bountygate,” when he and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams led an effort to reward players for injuring opponents. Despite this blemish, he emerged from his New Orleans tenure as one of the most acclaimed coaches in modern NFL history and is continuing to earn respect for his current work as head coach of the Denver Broncos.
Meanwhile, in Dallas, Jones hired Wade Phillips in 2007 with Jason Garrett as offensive coordinator. That lasted until 2010 when the Cowboys imploded and Garrett became interim coach, then held the job until being replaced with Mike McCarthy in 2020. Now, Dallas is parting ways with McCarthy and is still trying to find the guy to move them past an occasional division crown and short playoff run.
Kellen Moore is one of the current frontrunners to take that job. He was a Cowboys backup QB from 2015-2017, QB coach in 2018, and offensive coordinator from 2019-2022. With Mike McCarthy wanting more offensive control in 2023, Moore moved on to become the Chargers’ coordinator. But after a difficult season and then Jim Harbaugh’s arrival in 2024, Moore was again on the market and spent last year as OC with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Many are drawing parallels to Jason Garrett when discussing Moore’s candidacy for the Dallas opening, and that’s logical given some of their similar history as both players and coaches here. But Jerry Jones’ miss on Sean Payton should also be considered in his desire to reunite with Moore.
Like Payton in the early 2000s, Moore is seen as one of the bright, young minds in offensive coaching. He just helped Saquon Barkley go over 2,000 yards for one of the best single seasons in NFL rushing history. The Eagles went 14-3 in the regular season and will be hosting the Los Angeles Rams in a second-round playoff game this Sunday. While their pass game hasn’t posted big numbers, that seems to be more about their personnel. Moore proved he can lead a prolific air attack during his years as the Cowboys’ offensive coordinator, ranking second in passing offense in both 2019 and 2021.
When Moore left Dallas in 2023, McCarthy was coming off a second straight 12-5 regular season and his first (and would prove to be only) playoff win over Tampa Bay. Much like when Dallas stuck with Parcells in 2006, it was logical to keep things going with McCarthy at that point. Unfortunately, it meant losing Moore much like it meant losing Payton about two decades earlier.
Of course, we don’t know if Moore will even be a successful head coach, let alone an upper-echelon one like Payton. But that’s the scary thrill of going with an unknown over a retread. However confident New Orleans was in Payton when they hired him, it’s all conjecture and hope until the guy either proves you right or wrong.
Still just 36 years old, Kellen Moore offers Jerry Jones youth and future potential as a head coach like he once saw in Sean Payton. Circumstances didn’t allow Payton to prove his ultimate worth with the Cowboys, but Jones may now see a chance to get Moore back in the fold and continue his growth where it started. Instead of maybe being another one who got away, Moore could be close to becoming just the 10th coach in Dallas’ history.
