The New Orleans Saints have fired their head coach Dennis Allen. The move came after a 23-22 defeat in Week 9 to the Carolina Panthers, which extended the Saints’ losing streak to seven games.
The franchise confirmed the news on Monday while also announcing that special teams coach Darren Rizzi will take over as interim head coach.
The Saints were the talk of the NFL early in the 2024 season after winning two straight and putting on an impressive display on the offensive end of the ball. However, their season unraveled soon after that, with losses starting to pile up as a result of obvious struggles on both sides of the ball and various injuries to key players.
While the Saints’ front office backed Allen throughout the stretch, it became almost impossible to defend him after a loss to the Panthers, which are widely considered to be the worst team in the league.
“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 owner Gayle Benson said in a statement.
Dennis Allen spent much of his coaching career with the Saints organization. He initially came to New Orleans in 2006 as an assistant defensive line coach and stayed until the 2010 season before embarking on a defensive coordinator stint with the Denver Broncos and serving as a head coach for the Raiders.
Allen returned to the Saints in 2015, serving as a defensive coordinator under head coach Sean Payton. Following Payton’s departure after the 2021 season, Allen was picked out as his successor. He will now leave the franchise with an 18-25 record as a head coach.
