New Orleans Saints' Dennis Allen will be first head coach fired, says Colin Cowherd

How hot is the seat for New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen?

Some would say scorching .

Allen enters Year 3 of his rebuild in the aftermath of the Sean Payton era and just scrambled together a 9-8 season, though the vibes of the upcoming 2024 have been muted, at best.

While Allen doesn’t usually come to mind atop the hot-seat rankings right now leaguewide, Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd recently picked him to be the first head coach outright fired this season.

“I think Dennis Allen, Saints, is the first coach to be let go,” Cowherd said. “They’ve missed the playoffs back-to-back years, the NFC South, Atlanta and Carolina, are undoubtedly better teams, no question….Four of the first six games for Dennis Allen are against playoff teams from last year. I don’t see the juice offensively.”

Allen didn’t exactly inherit the best cap-strapped situation with the Saints, but the lack of a more significant upswing is noticeable in an NFC South that had looked up for grabs in recent years. Now, that early schedule is indeed brutal. Before November, the Saints have to play Dallas, Philadelphia, Kansas City and a trio of divisional games.

Should the Saints' nosedive through those first eight games and live up to “purgatory” accusations , Allen could easily be the first coach shown the door. But won’t necessarily be alongside quarterback Derek Carr despite the presence of rookie Spencer Rattler, given how dramatically the veteran’s contract escalates in 2025 .

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