The New Orleans Saints have responded to their 2-7 start to the season by firing head coach Dennis Allen.
“Dennis has been part of our organization for years. He is highly regarded within the NFL. He has been extremely loyal, professional and, most importantly, an excellent football coach for us. All of this makes today very difficult for me and our organization,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. “However, this decision is something I felt we had to make at this time. I wish nothing but the best for Dennis and his family in the future. He will always be regarded with the highest regard by me and everyone within our organization.”
The Saints started the season as Super Bowl contenders, defeating the Carolina Panthers 47-10, followed by a dismantling of the Dallas Cowboys 44-19. But those wins would be put into context later in the season as the Cowboys and Panthers struggled. So would the Saints, meeting the Panthers again on Sunday and losing 23-22. It was New Orleans’ seventh straight loss, although Allen dealt with a significant number of injuries among his wide receivers and offensive line.
“I’m going to keep coming in every day and fighting, just like I’ve done every day I’ve been here,” Allen said Sunday after the loss to the Panthers.
However, fans had been calling for Allen’s head for some time and players expressed concerns about the team’s form.
“We just lost to the panthers…I love you all. New Orleans really had higher expectations and the best hope for us, you all deserve it,” veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan wrote on X after Sunday’s loss.
Allen was in his third season as New Orleans’ head coach and also served as the team’s defensive coordinator from 2015 until replacing Sean Payton in 2022. While the Saints have maintained the strong defense that Allen developed as coordinator, their offense has been. patchy at best. In three seasons with the Saints, he had an 18-25 record and failed to make the playoffs. He also served as head coach of the Raiders from 2012 to 2014, posting an 8-28 record.
The NFL Network reported that special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi will serve as the team’s interim head coach.