Saints fire coach Dennis Allen after seventh straight defeat

Allen went 18-25 without a playoff appearance since taking over in 2022 after Sean Payton, the most successful coach in Saints history, began what turned out to be a one-season retirement.

Allen was promoted by general manager Mickey Loomis following a six-season tenure as New Orleans’ defensive coordinator, a stint that saw his unit ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in 2020 and 2021.

“Dennis has been a part of our organization for many years,” Saints owner Gayle Benson said, referring to Allen’s first stint as a defensive assistant with New Orleans from 2006 to 2010. “He has been extremely loyal and professional.

“All of this makes today very tough for me and our organization,” Benson added. “However, this decision is something I felt we had to make at this time.”

In a written statement from the team, Allen thanked Benson and Loomis for his opportunity and called the Saints an “organization that will always be near and dear to my heart.”

Allen said he never doubted the dedication and determination of his players, adding: “I’m sorry the results weren’t better because they were certainly deserved.”

The Saints continued to field one of the better defenses in the NFL during Allen’s first two seasons as head coach, but the offense was erratic and often struggled in the late stages of close games.

This year, under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the offense started the season by scoring a whopping 91 points in back-to-back wins in Weeks 1 and 2. Since then, however, the unit has struggled to perform amid injuries to key players increased. .

Center Erik McCoy, the Saints’ most talented offensive lineman, was the first to go down in Week 3 and hasn’t played since. Meanwhile, New Orleans has endured stints without quarterback Derek Carr, top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed and veteran guard Cesar Ruiz, among others.

New Orleans entered Sunday’s loss to the Panthers without three of its top four cornerbacks on defense: Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

But Carr was back from a three-match absence.

The Saints outgained the Panthers 427 yards to 246, but still lost, 23-22 – to a team it had defeated 47-10 in Week 1.

Allen went 7-10 in his first season with the Saints and improved to 9-8 last year, narrowly missing the playoffs. Allen hoped that New Orleans would improve enough with a new offense to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020 — which also happened to be franchise passer Drew Brees’ last all-time NFL season.

But since its strong opening two weeks, New Orleans’ offense has largely languished, falling to 16th in yards per game (331.4) entering Sunday’s games.

Allen’s defense, meanwhile, has fallen to 28th, allowing 376.4 yards per game.

While the 52-year-old Allen remains an accomplished defensive coordinator, his prospects for a new head coaching position are bleak at best. He is now 26-53 as an NFL coach, including his own 8-28 record with the Oakland Raiders from 2012-14.

Allen thanked Saints fans in his statement for their “unwavering passion and support of the team,” saying he realized “what a privilege it is to coach a special franchise in a great city.”

“I wish everyone at the Saints the best of luck and success in the future,” Allen concluded.