Dennis Allen survived a few seasons of mediocrity. He couldn't overcome a long losing streak that included losing games to former Saints coach Sean Payton and a terrible Carolina Panthers team.

The New Orleans Saints resisted a coaching change after Allen's first two seasons, even though it would have been justified in both cases. A seven-game losing streak ended Allen's time as head coach of the Saints.

After their painful 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9, The Saints reportedly released Allen on Monday morning.

The Saints started this season well and took a 2-0 lead. But after that things got ugly. The downturn was a reminder of how far the Saints have fallen since Payton stepped down as head coach after the 2021 season. The losing streak included a 33-10 primetime loss to Payton's Denver Broncos in Week 7. Then in Week 9, the Saints lost to a Panthers team that had only had three wins since the start of the 2023 season. New Orleans gave up a game-winning drive to Bryce Young in the final minutes and lost the lead.

Allen's third season as Saints coach started off quite well. But then the losses piled up and the Saints had to act. In his two-plus seasons as head coach in New Orleans, Allen went 18-25, never appearing in the playoffs.

Dennis Allen didn't make the playoffs

Allen was fired before. From 2012 to 2014, he was the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 8 to 28 years. Allen was given another chance to become a head coach because of his good work as Payton's defensive coordinator. When Payton stepped down after the 2021 season, it was obvious to take over for Allen.

Like most failed coaches, Allen's biggest problem may have been an unresolved quarterback situation. The team entered 2022 hoping that Jameis Winston would be the answer. Winston was injured early in the season and Andy Dalton was the quarterback for most of the season. New Orleans signed Derek Carr to a big contract in 2023 and reunited him with Allen from the Raiders' days, but that didn't go well either. Carr had a disappointing season in 2023, slowing this season after a hot start, then missing three games with an oblique injury. While losing to the Carolina Panthers, Carr came under pressure from former Saints fullback Michael Thomas on social media.

Head coaches in the NFL are running out of patience and no one cares about quarterback issues. Allen didn't win enough.

Allen's third season went wrong

The loss that put Allen on alert came in Week 6. The Saints gave up 51 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – one touchdown came from the Tampa Bay defense – and 594 yards in an embarrassing 51-27 loss. The Saints started fifth-round rookie draft pick Spencer Rattler at quarterback in place of the injured Carr, but that didn't excuse the defensive performance. Things looked bad for Allen, who comes from a defensive background. Things never got better after that.

The job with the Saints won't be too attractive. The team is in the worst situation in the NFL with the salary cap. According to Spotrac, New Orleans is estimated to be $77.4 million over the 2025 cap, nearly twice as much as any other team. The Saints will restructure their deals to get under the cap, but that will push the cap hits into the future. And the Saints don't have a young core or a promising future franchise quarterback to make up for it.

Allen found himself in a difficult situation. He replaced Payton, a legend in New Orleans. Payton left a year after future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees retired, and there was no good plan for the quarterback's succession. Allen had to be great to make the Saints a playoff team, and he wasn't.

The Saints will be looking for their next Payton. It wasn't Allen. And it won't be easy to find a good replacement for him.