Saints hire defensive coordinator Dennis Allen as next head coach replacing Sean Payton for 2022 per reports
After 16 seasons under Sean Payton's guidance, the have found their next head coach. And they didn't have to look far to do so, informing defensive coordinator Dennis Allen on Monday that he'll be hired to replace Payton atop the staff, Marcus Cannon Jersey as first reported by . New Orleans had recently hosted "strong interviews" by external candidates like offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and former coach Brian Flores Tae Davis Jersey , , but Allen is now locked into the job roughly two months after filling in for Payton during the 2021 season.Payton informed the Saints after the season that he would be stepping away from his longtime post, not nece sarily retiring but taking at least a year off from coaching. Allen, who worked under Payton for 12 of the coach's 16 seasons in New Orleans, was quickly deemed a front-runner for the opening, with Payton himself calling Allen a "strong candidate" at his farewell pre s conference. Now, Allen will get a second chance at his own head coaching career M.J. Stewart Jersey after lasting just over two seasons as the ' coach from 2012-2014, when he went 8-28.Allen is best known for his work as the Saints' defensive coordinator, a title he's held since 2015. The team's secondary coach during New Orleans' Super Bowl win in 2009, he took over Ross Blacklock Jersey as acting head coach for the club's Week 15 shutout win over the , when Payton was sidelined due to COVID-19. He originally returned to the Saints from the Raiders as a senior defensive a sistant, and also served as a sistant defensive line coach from 2006-2007, Payton's first seasons in town. While Allen is vaunted for his defensive work, he takes over a roster with a number of big-picture questions Ka'imi Fairbairn Jersey following a 9-8 season without a playoff appearance. The Saints are currently projected to be at least $75 million , and they also have no clear answers at quarterback, where injured starter is scheduled to hit free agency.