The New Orleans Saints have decided to fire head coach Dennis Allen. On Sunday, Allen and the Saints lost their seventh straight game, falling to the Carolina Panthers 23-22. Things were already bad in New Orleans, but the loss to Carolina was officially rock bottom, and the franchise was left with no other option.
This ends Allen’s tenure as New Orleans’ head coach after two and a half season. During that time, the Saints had an 18-25 record under Allen, and had missed the postseason in his first two years. Barring a miracle, New Orleans was on pace to miss the postseason for a third straight year.
The #Saints have fired coach Dennis Allen after a humbling loss to the #Panthers, per me and @MikeGarafolo. pic.twitter.com/HrVl6A4ZnN
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 4, 2024
Now, the team can turn the page to another chapter, and start a much-needed rebuild. With the 2024 trade deadline on Tuesday pm at 4 p.m. ET, it’s fair to assume the Saints will receive a ton of calls about their talented veterans. New Orleans had previously said it wasn’t planning on selling, but the franchise also said it had no intention to fire Dennis Allen.
A loss to the Carolina Panthers changes things, so we’ll see what happens next.
While the team will conduct a full coaching search in the offseason, assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is expected to be the interim head coach, per Ian Rapoport. Rizzi has been in New Orleans since 2019 as the special teams coordinator, and became the assistant head coach in 2022.
Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will be Saints interim head coach
He’ll now have the tough job of trying to keep the locker room together and leading them to a strong finish this season. While that’ll definitely be a tough job, especially if key players get traded, expectations are low, so Rizzi can’t disappoint.
For fans, who have been asking for Allen to be fired since last season, they’re certainly rejoicing right now. Next, they’re probably hoping the team continues to lose so the franchise can have a high draft pick and actually start a rebuild.