The New Orleans Saints have a host of questions to answer regarding their coaching staff heading into 2025, but several current or former coaches are keeping their options open.
Former head coach Dennis Allen, who was fired after a Week 9 loss to the Panthers, has surfaced as a candidate in defensive coordinator openings across the league. The first team to line up an interview is the Indianapolis Colts, according to a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Allen has been out of the public eye since departing the Saints, but recently appeared on Jay Glazer's podcast, Unbreakable, to discuss, among a variety of subjects, the circumstances around his firing.
"I don't look at it as, I failed," Allen said, noting that he did not believe GM Mickey Loomis was in favor of the move. "I look at it as, they just decided they wanted to go in a different direction."
A return as an NFL defensive coordinator would make sense and follows the trajectory of several other coaches who have starred in that role, but never stuck as a head coach. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would be a prime example, a name that pops up regularly in head coaching searches despite his 10-38 stint as head coach of the Rams from 2009-'11.
The bigger question for the Saints is what happens to the remainder of Allen's staff as the team seeks a new leader for that group. The team has already announced several completed interviews, including Dolphins DC Anthony Weaver, Giants OC Mike Kafka and Lions DC Aaron Glenn. All interviews have been virtual to this point, per NFL rules. The Saints are also expected to interview interim head coach Darren Rizzi and have requests in for a handful of other names. Currently five teams are still looking to fill head coaching vacancies, with the Patriots job off the board after the hiring of Mike Vrabel.
Related
One hot name around coaching searches has been OC Klint Kubiak, who was brought in to lead the Saints offense prior to the 2024 season and had bright spots that didn't last long due to a confluence of events that included a rash of injuries.
Kubiak has been named in OC searches for the Browns and Seahawks, and is expected to interview with the Browns this week.
All Saints assistants remain under contract at this point, which means the team could opt to block interviews for what would be considered lateral moves to another team. Rizzi said earlier this offseason that such decisions would be made on a "case by case" basis. The Saints allowing Kubiak to interview elsewhere means they are at least willing to consider parting ways with the 37-year-old assistant.'
Rizzi has also been interviewed for the Jets head coaching vacancy. The Bears, Jaguars and Raiders are the other seats currently left open on this year's coaching carousel.
At this point no other assistants have surfaced in notable interviews for other roles. Loomis is scheduled to speak to the media on Monday.