Nine weeks into the 2024 NFL season, a second head coach has been fired: Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints joins Robert Saleh of the New York Jets.
Allen finished with the third-worst winning percentage of all time (minimum 75 games), and team owner Gayle Benson will focus on the Saints’ next steps.
New Orleans has named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as its interim head coach.
Saints Fire Head Coach Dennis Allen
After starting the season 2-0 and scoring 91 points in their first two games, the Saints have lost seven straight games and Allen’s defense has totally collapsed.
In Week 9, the Saints suffered their worst loss of the season. Despite quarterback Derek Carr returning from an oblique injury, New Orleans still couldn’t defeat the lowly Carolina Panthers.
Allen’s defense allowed 23 points to Carolina, including two rushing touchdowns to Chuba Hubbard and a passing score to rookie Xavier Legette. The Panthers and Saints now have the same record (2-7), and Bryce Young picked up his third career win.
“Dennis has been part of our organization for many years. He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal and professional and, most importantly, an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization,” said Saints owner Gayle Benson.
“However, this decision is something that I felt we needed to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best in the future for Dennis and his family. He will always be considered in the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization.”
Saints part ways with head coach Dennis Allen. (via @RapSheet, @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/ApY1VXt9li
— NFL (@NFL) November 4, 2024
Since outscoring opponents 91-29 (+62) during their 2-0 start, the Saints were outscored 200-116 (-84) during their seven-game losing streak.
Not only is Allen’s .333 winning percentage the worst among active coaches, but it is also the worst winning percentage of any head coach over the last 25 years.
“DA is an excellent football coach,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis wrote in a statement. “This season, we have 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. Dennis has been an integral part of this organization’s success for the better part of 20 years. He will be missed.”
Defense was supposed to be Allen’s speciality, as the Saints’ D had regularly dominated during his run as the club’s coordinator. However, New Orleans’ defense struggled when Allen became the team’s head coach. Here’s how the Saints ranked in PFN’s DEF+ metric over the last three seasons:
- 2022: 13th (C)
- 2023: 6th (B-)
- 2024: 19th (D+)
Though nine weeks, New Orleans had allowed the seventh-most points per game (25.4). The Saints struggled with mid-game adjustments and posted the league’s second-worst second-half point margin (-48). Discipline was also an issue, as New Orleans cost itself the sixth-most penalty yards per game through nine weeks (63.3 per game).
As Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune noted, the results were enough to force the Benson regime’s first midseason head coaching change. The Saints had not fired a coach in-season since parting ways with Dick Nolan after his 0-2 start in 1980.
Allen, 52, was the Saints’ logical head-coaching choice after Sean Payton retired after the 2021 campaign. He was in his second stint with New Orleans, having served as a defensive staffer under Payton from 2006-10. Allen’s record as the Las Vegas Raiders HC (8-28) left much to be desired, but he was the obvious pick to take over for Payton.
Rizzi, 54, has been with the Saints since 2019. He interviewed to replace Payton in 2022 and had “assistant head coach” added to his title when he didn’t receive the job. Rizzi’s previous head-coaching experience has been in the college ranks: New Haven (1999-2001) and Rhode Island (2008).
What Comes Next for the Saints?
While the Saints might hope to convince a high-profile coach like Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or future Hall of Famer Bill Belichick to come to New Orleans, the Benson family will likely have difficulty coaxing high-end talent to join the franchise.
The Saints have an aging, expensive roster. In Week 1, New Orleans had the fourth-oldest team, with an average age of 26.75.
Moreover, they’re projected to be $61.5 million over the 2025 salary cap. No other team in the league is projected to be more than $4 million in the red. The Saints have already overextended themselves to the point where cutting veteran players will only cause more dead money to envelop their salary cap.
New Orleans will have to keep restructuring contracts, pushing money forward, and taking its salary-cap medicine. This is a team looking at a multi-year teardown and rebuild effort, and coaches like Johnson and Belichick will likely have better opportunities in 2025.
Will the Saints continue making changes at the top? Allen is hardly responsible for New Orleans’ lackluster roster composition, which PFN ranked 31st in our NFL future roster rankings.
General manager Mickey Loomis is essentially a Saints institution. He’s extremely close with the Benson family and has worked for the Saints for nearly a quarter-century. Loomis even took over as the executive vice president of basketball operations for the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans (another Benson venture) from 2012 to 2019.
It remains unclear whether the Saints will move on from Loomis or change any part of their front office structure. However, Allen isn’t the lone culprit for New Orleans’ ongoing struggles.