NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Saints have officially parted ways with head coach Dennis Allen following a disappointing 2-7 start to his third season. This decision comes just one day after the Saints’ narrow loss to the Carolina Panthers, marking their seventh consecutive defeat.
Allen grew up in Texas and played as a safety at Texas A&M University, where he was part of the highly regarded “Wrecking Crew” defense. He made a key interception against rival Texas, contributing to the team’s success during the 1994 and 1995 seasons. After college, Allen signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 1996 but was released during training camp. His coaching career spans several teams, including the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
In three seasons as head coach of the Saints, Allen compiled an 18-25 record with no playoff appearances. He was previously the Saints defensive coordinator under Sean Payton from 2015-2021 and had spent 10 years with the organization.
“DA is an excellent football coach,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told the AP. ”This season, we’ve had an avalanche of injuries. It took its toll. DA has never offered excuses. He fought each day for this organization and this team and that is what makes today disappointing.”
The Saints named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi the club’s interim coach for the final eight games.The current Saints streak is the longest since 1999 and reflects a locker room that appears divided on Allen’s leadership. Despite the promise of a smooth transition from Payton, the team has underperformed, marked by what NFL writer Kevin Patra says is poor game management and significant defeats.
Allen’s midseason firing, his second as a head coach, raises questions about the future of the franchise, including the roles of general manager Mickey Loomis and quarterback Derek Carr, amid concerns about a lack of young talent.
Some Saints fans feel that firing Allen at this stage in the season is a positive.
“He should have been fired after the first season. It’s understandable he was given the head coach position after years of doing well as defensive coordinator but after the first season he should have been let go. This is a season and a half too late. Hopefully we can get someone who can start to get an idea of how to put a team together,” said JC Arnold, an audio/visual systems tech at the World War II Museum. “If we had done this at the end of this season, we would have had little chance of coming back next season.”
“He was fired too late,” said Nick Cassara, who works with Arnold at the museum.
As of 2024, Dennis Allen earns $3.5 million per year.
This is a developing story.
