New Orleans Saints fire head coach Dennis Allen following Week 9 loss to Carolina Panthers

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reports Monday that the New Orleans Saints have fired head coach Dennis Allen following the team’s disappointing Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Allen was in the midst of his third season with the Saints, leading the team to an 18-25 record during his tenure in New Orleans.

Following an electric 2-0 start to the season, the Saints dropped their seventh straight game on Sunday in Charlotte. Falling to the Panthers in a 23-22 loss that moves both team’s records to 2-7 on the season.

Allen’s history with the Saints dates back to 2006 when he served as an assistant defensive line coach for two seasons before being promoted to secondary coach in 2008. He was a part of the team’s Super Bowl XLIV victory before parting ways with the franchise and eventually getting his first head coaching job with the Oakland Raiders in 2012.

Similar to his most recent stint with New Orleans, Allen was fired in his third season with the Raiders following two straight 4-12 seasons and a 0-4 start in his third year with the team. Allen served as the defensive coordinator for the Saints for seven seasons after replacing Rob Ryan in 2015 and eventually being promoted to head coach following Sean Payton‘s retirement in 2022.

The Saints went 7-10 in their first season under Allen followed by an improved 9-8 record last season and a second-place finish in the NFC South. They failed to make the playoffs in both seasons with the likelihood of making the postseason this year looking slim to none following the team’s longest losing streak since 1999.

New Orleans outscored their first two opponents 91-29 in an impressive start to the season. But since then, they have scored just 16.5 points per game with the fifth-worst yards per game defense in the NFL.

Saints assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi is expected to be named interim coach, according to Rapoport.