After a Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers put the New Orleans Saints at 2-7 and last in the NFC South, the franchise fired Dennis Allen Monday morning. The team will now embark on a journey to find its next head coach but will need to name an interim sooner.
Signs are pointing to special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi according to an inside report from Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football. Underhill called Rizzi the, "most likely candidate." He has been with the team since 2019 and has been assistant coach since 2022.
Shortly after, Ian Rapoport and Dianna Russini confirmed Rizzi has been named interim.
Rizzi brings a clear spunk and intensity to the locker room and is nothing if not inventive. While the format has been criticized in its first season, he was a major influence on the new dynamic kickoff rule that debuted this year.
Allen was in the midst of his third season as head coach of the Saints. He lasted 43 games as the head coach, just a handful more than his 36 as coach of the Raiders. Underhill's report also illustrated heavy involvement from Saints owner Gayle Benson in the decision to part ways with Allen.
More of the Latest Around the NFL
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Saints Appear to Have Interim Head Coach Candidate in Mind After Dennis Allen Firing.
