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.

Mike McCarthy reportedly will not be the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday

McCarthy has reportedly decided to focus on next year's coaching cycle and will take a year off from coaching in the NFL.

Mike McCarthy has pulled himself out of the Saints head coach search. NFL Network reports he’s taking the year off and will look for work in 2026:

According to NFL media, McCarthy has decided to focus on the 2026 hiring cycle. He won’t coach in 2025. The difference between last time and this time is that he had a buyout after the Packers moved on. McCarthy, whose contract expired on January 14, will not be paid this year.

Kellen Moore missed out on landing the Cowboys job but could be the front-runner for the New Orleans Saints after the Eagles dismantled the Commanders on Sunday afternoon, and Mike McCarthy decided to focus on 2026.

Does anyone want to coach the New Orleans Saints? The former Dallas Cowboys coach decided he will focus on the 2026 hiring cycle, according a report from the NFL Network.

With Mike McCarthy free to interview for other openings, NFL fans believe McCarthy will ultimately wind up with the Bears.

Mike McCarthy’s addition to the coaching cycle could impact a lot of teams. His coaching resume could enamor a team and push other candidates down the board:

Before the Dallas Cowboys announced they’d be moving on from Mike McCarthy, it appeared all but certain that he’d land