Across his two seasons at the helm of the Saints, Dennis Allen has posted a sub-.500 record. 2024 offers an opportunity to rebound and help his job security, but New Orleans’ head coach likely faces pressure entering the campaign. 
Allen is viewed around the league as being on the hot seat leading up to Week 1, Jeff Howe of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The 51-year-old took over from Sean Payton in 2022 after spending the previous seven years as the Saints’ defensive coordinator. That continuity helped the transition away from the Payton era, but the post-Drew Brees years have not yielded strong offensive showings for the team.
The Saints have ranked 19th and 14th in total offense during Allen’s time as head coach, and last year’s Derek Carr addition did not meet expectations. Improvement could take place in 2024, the first season since 2009 in which Pete Carmichael will not serve as offensive coordinator. New Orleans went outside the organization in adding Klint Kubiak as OC, a role he previously held in 2021. Increased efficiency on the ground and through the air will be key in the Saints’ efforts to return to the postseason.
Allen’s team improved from 7-10 to 9-8 last year, predictably remaining strong on defense. The Saints have ranked top-10 in points allowed during each of the past four seasons, and many of their top veterans on that side of the ball are still in place. The 2024 offseason consisted of a new round of restructures and extensions aimed at attaining cap compliance while keeping most of New Orleans’ core intact.
In December, a report named Allen as a candidate to be replaced at the end of the campaign. The Saints’ failure to win the NFC South certainly did not help his chances of retaining his title, but later signs pointed to attention mainly being focused on offensive changes rather than an Allen firing. The former Raiders head coach confirmed in January that he expected to remain in place, and that has proven to be the case.
Allen’s time with the Raiders included a record of 8-28 and resulted in his firing after an 0-4 start to the 2014 campaign. His tenure with the Saints has gone better to date, but plenty of room for improvement exists. If steps forward are not taken in 2024, he could be at or near the top of the list of coaches in danger of being let go in advance of the 2025 hiring cycle.
His seat has flames coming up from the bottom!! That’s how hot it is.
This is a surprise? His coaching record is 24-46-0 over five years and two teams. He is also operating a team that has been poorly GM’d over the last 5 years, thus he has had no chance to patch holes and make the personnel moves that teams with healthy cap space situations can do.
Didn’t realize Allen was responsible for the their clown show front office management of their cap
Incompetence all around.
To say their salary cap has been mismanaged is factually inaccurate. People make a big deal about the cap, yet the Saints have always been able to add players to fill needs via free agency. They just recently added Chase Young, which, by the way, looks as if it will be a tremendous addition. Smart front office people are able to manipulate the cap, and the Saints are masterful at it.
I’d much rather see them do what they’re doing, in a division that is very winnable, as opposed to committing to a rebuild that wouldn’t be guaranteed to work. Teardowns, rebuilds, tanking… whatever you want to call it, doesn’t always yield the desired results.
Inaccurate? They are already $89 million over next years cap. They could’ve took a reset year, got a top pick(QB???) and been fine. They have been kicking the can for years to stay competitive which I get but to say the comment is inaccurate is well.. inaccurate.
It isn’t next year yet, though. I don’t really worry about next year. The Saints always figure it out. The cap will go up, they’ll do some restructures, etc…
Looking at the division landscape, no reason to take a reset year.
I’m also entirely comfortable with Carr at QB. I believe he’s a solid quarterback that can win you football games with the right pieces surrounding him. The Saints also took Rattler, who has looked good in preseason. They’re going to be fine.
Innacurate? They have a team of mediocre or oft-injured players that might not make the practice squad in other cities, yet they are already projected to have a $95 million deficit (worst in the league) in 2025
They don’t “always figure it out.” If they did, they wouldn’t only have 9 playoff wins in Loomis’ 23 years, 3 of which came during their SB-winning season, making it 6 playoff wins over the other 22 years.
The Saints aren’t exactly a shining example of success and I’m not sure that kicking the can down the road and pressing on with this level of talent is smart long-term thinking just because the division is winnable. It’s not like the Saints are a legitimate contender.
I think they’re going to be a lot better than many people are anticipating. I can’t sit here and say they’re a Super Bowl favorite; but I don’t measure everything by Super Bowl victories. You can’t. If that’s the definition of success, every year all but one team fails.
Watching your team fight for a playoff spot is fun. Just having a playoff game to watch with your team in it is something many fans don’t get every year. Much rather have a chance for those things than hear promises of how after four years of awful football, my team will be great.
Pretty sure they won’t. Atlanta and Tampa are better, and if the Panthers new coach can do what he did for Mayfield, that’s going to be a problem for them too. Not to mention that they play the AFC West this year.
Any self respecting franchise in 2024 wouldn’t have Dennis Allen as head coach. He is gone the moment New Orleans decides to stop being content with mediocrity
They’re content with mediocrity as long as Mickey Loomis is the GM of the franchise. He’s been there since 2002 and they’ve been underachievers or not very good nearly every year with the exception of their Super Bowl season. They haven’t been even close to replicating that since. He mismanages the cap like crazy.
We take you back to Week 18 of last season. That “clown show front office” put together a roster that allowed dem Saints to score a touchdown from victory formation vs. Atlanta. Karma came 3.5 hours later when Green Bay won to knock New Orleans out of the playoffs.
NFC South can be wide-open or hot garbage, Saints will always be competitive.
“Dennis Allen is the odds-on favorite as the first coach to get fired. Is he on the hot seat?”
In other news, water is wet.
Plan B is probably a hiring of Gruden or Hue Jackson…both of which would be an even bigger disaster.
Gruden would be a great choice. Jackson would be lucky if he was offered a high school HC job
Mickey Loomis should be on the hot seat. His teams have been buried in cap hell for the last decade.
If Dennis Allen is your HC, you don’t want to win.