The Chicago Bears have been one of the most active NFL franchises in their search for a new head coach since the regular season ended. One of the latest names to pop up is a longtime member of Sean Payton's staff with the New Orleans Saints.
Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is interviewing with the Bears next week, per source
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) January 21, 2022
The #Bears will interview #Saints respected DC Dennis Allen on Tuesday, via zoom, source said. This is their latest scheduled interview and perhaps their last in the first round.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 21, 2022
Allen has been working as the Saints' defensive coordinator since 2015 and before that was the head coach of the then-Oakland Raiders from 2012 until his firing after Week 4 of the 2014 NFL season. During his two-plus seasons at the helm in Oakland, the team went 8-28.
The 49-year-old Allen began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Texas A&M from 1996 to 1999 and then moved on to become the secondary coach at Tulsa in 2000 and 2001. Allen's first NFL job was as the defensive quality control coach with the Atlanta Falcons from 2002 to 2005, before he first joined the Saints in 2006 as an assistant defensive line coach.
Allen was the secondary coach in New Orleans from 2008 to 2010 and was the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator in 2011. The Saints won their only Super Bowl title in franchise history in 2009 with Allen on the staff.
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