Saints’ top 3 head coaching candidates after firing Dennis Allen

The New Orleans Saints made a coaching change on Monday morning, firing Dennis Allen following their loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. The Saints are on a seven-game losing streakand something had to change after it felt like the locker room was being lost.

The Saints will now finish the season with assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi as the new interim coach, and it will be interesting to see what their plans are when it comes to obtaining a high draft pick or to remain competitive. With a record of 2-7 and the Atlanta Falcons holding a huge lead in the division, it might be best for the Saints to evaluate some of their young talent on the team and see who they can draft next year .

The most important thing the Saints’ front office needs to do when the season ends is find a list of head coaching candidates for next season. There will likely be quite a few coaches looking for jobs next season, and here are three options the Saints should consider to lead their team going forward.

Detroit Lions OC Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson was a candidate for head coach last season and did a few interviews, but ultimately opted to return to the Detroit Lions. Johnson was one of the hottest prospects on the roster last season after his system turned the Lions into one of the best offensive teams in the league.

Well, he’s doing the same thing this season, and the Lions’ offense may be better than last year. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Johnson lands a head coaching job this time around during the offseason, and the Saints should be one of the first teams to try to interview him. The Saints have the pieces on offense to make Johnson’s system work, and he may want to go to a team that already has those pieces.

Former Tennessee Titans Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel was also a head coach candidate for some teams last season, but is spending this season as a coaching and personnel consultant for the Cleveland Browns. When Vrabel was the Titans’ head coach, he led them to the playoffs three out of six seasons and also won Coach of the Year in 2021. Both sides of the ball for Vrabel’s teams were effective, and because he was a veteran coach, the Saints may want to consider him.

As a defensive-minded coach, Vrabel could help the Saints, who are at the bottom of almost every statistical category. If Vrabel takes over and retains Klint Kubiak as offensive coordinator, they would have a solid coaching staff on both sides of the ball to remain competitive.

Brian Flores, DC of Minnesota Vikings

Brian Flores has turned the Vikings’ defense around to become one of the best in the league this season, and there is no doubt he can do the same for the Saints. Flores has experience as a head coach, as his last stint was with the Miami Dolphins, but things did not end well for him as he went 24-25 in his three years there. Flores is also suing the NFL for racial discrimination after he was denied a head coaching job in 2022.

Teams should take a close look at Flores before hiring him, but he deserves a chance after what he was able to do as a defensive coordinator for the Vikings.