• Loading stock data...
Saturday, August 2, 2025
Tuned In returns to NYC on September 16. Hear from the biggest names in sports media. Click here to get your spot

Saints Fire Dennis Allen: NFL’s Coaching Carousel Spins Early

The now-former Saints coach was in the third season of a four-year contract.

Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

The 2024 NFL regular season will reach its halfway point Monday night, but the league’s dramatic—and expensive—coaching carousel is already in full swing.

The Saints fired Dennis Allen on Monday, becoming the second team to make a change midseason, following the Jets dismissing Robert Saleh last month. Allen was in the third season of a four-year contract he signed in 2022 after Sean Payton stepped down (before ultimately having his rights traded to the Broncos in 2023). The value of Allen’s deal is unknown, but head coach contracts typically pay at least $3 million or $4 million annually—and New Orleans will likely be on the hook for the remainder of his pay this season and the next one.

Allen was 18–25 as the Saints’ head coach, including this season’s 2–7 start. His last game was Sunday’s 23–22 loss to the Panthers, who had one win on the season coming in.

It’s the first midseason firing for the Saints since the franchise was purchased by Tom Benson in 1985. Gayle Benson has led the team since her husband died in 2018, and longtime EVP and GM Mickey Loomis will continue to run football operations.

Crunching the Numbers

New Orleans named special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi interim head coach, but will in all likelihood hire a new full-time coach after the season. Most pressing for the next leader will be the dire salary cap situation the Saints are in.

The Saints are currently $77 million over a projected $273 million salary cap for the 2025 NFL season—the highest in the league, according to Spotrac. That includes a team-high $51 million cap hit for quarterback Derek Carr, who is in the third season of a four-year, $150 million contract. Defensive end Cam Jordan has a $23.9 million dead cap hit, and it’s very possible he’ll retire before his age-36 campaign considering he’s collected two sacks since the start of the 2023 season.

Belichick Watch?

A second NFL head-coaching vacancy after just nine weeks of the season is a solemn reminder of the job’s high turnover rate. After last season, eight of the league’s 32 teams changed coaches.

Bill Belichick, whose 333 career wins (including playoffs) rank second to the late Don Shula’s 347, could be in line for a new job in 2025, after being fired by the Patriots in January and getting only one interview with the Falcons. The six-time Super Bowl–winning head coach is staying in the spotlight this fall, starring on the ManningCast, The Pat McAfee Show, Inside the NFL, and other media properties.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Bengals Extend Stadium Lease After $350M in Public Funds for Renovation

The Bengals will stay in the 25-year-old stadium through at least 2036.
opinion

ESPN-NFL Deal Still Contends With a Wild Card: Trump’s Approval

Negotiations between the NFL and Disney have been ongoing for four years

Commanders Seal Stadium Deal As D.C. Approves $1.1B in Funding

The NFL team’s return to its prior home receives key political support.

Belichick Bump Creating Record UNC Ticket Prices

The cost of seeing the NFL legend’s college coaching debut is soaring.

Featured Today

Coco Gauff at New York Liberty

How the New York Liberty Became the Hottest Ticket in Town

Once banished to the burbs, the Libs are now Brooklyn’s marquee attraction.
Las Vegas sign
July 29, 2025

College Sports Embracing Vegas After Years of Cold Shoulder

The Big Ten became the latest newcomer to Sin City.
2000, Jupiter, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Montreal Expos pitcher Hideki Irabu in action on the mound against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium during Spring Training
July 28, 2025

Dead Sports Franchises Are Alive and Well on Twitter

The Expos, Sonics, and Whalers have active social media accounts.
Limited Hype
July 27, 2025

Sneaker Reselling Was Once Easy Money. Success Is Now Complicated

Vendors need to evolve what they’re selling and how they do it.

Cubs Land 2027 MLB All-Star Game After Lengthy Pursuit

MLB will bring the Midsummer Classic to one of baseball’s cherished ballparks.
Michael Johnson
exclusive
July 31, 2025

Grand Slam Track Misses Deadline to Pay Athletes $3 Million

The league said it would pay athletes for their Kingston meet Thursday.
August 1, 2025

Ex-NBPA Chief on WNBA CBA Challenges, NBA Stake in League

Tamika Tremaglio was a consultant for the 2020 WNBA CBA.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Jul 26, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa (4) walks to the dugout after the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals at Target Field.
July 31, 2025

MLB’s Biggest Buyers in Frantic Deadline Weren’t Top Markets

Teams besides the Dodgers, Mets, and Yankees dominate MLB’s trade deadline.
Happy Gilmore 2
July 31, 2025

Is ‘Happy Gilmore 2’ Really About LIV vs. PGA Tour?

The movie’s main plotline may sound familiar to many golf fans.
Bristol Motor Speedway
July 31, 2025

MLB’s Long Road to Its Most Unusual Game Yet

The special-event game features a unique blending of baseball and racing.
July 31, 2025

NFL Preseason Getting Earliest Kickoff in 25 Years

The Lions and Chargers face off in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.