Former Saints Head Coach Named No. 16 Worst Hire Of Century

The New Orleans Saints weren’t the only NFL franchise to give up on Dennis Allen.

Some people forget that Allen, who was canned by New Orleans last season after a 2-7 start, was also fired by the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders in 2014. CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin is not one of those people. Benjamin released a list of the 25 worst head coaching hires this century, and Allen’s Raiders tenure landed at No. 16.

“You're excused if you thought the New Orleans Saints were the only team to boot Allen as a head coach,” Benjamin wrote.

“To be fair, this man is still a widely respected defensive teacher, as evidenced by his quick hire as Ben Johnson's right-hand man in Chicago this offseason. But as you'll see at other points on this list, some vaunted assistants have proven better adept at holding those professions. Derek Carr was a noted fan, but the longtime Raiders quarterback was only present for Allen's final four games.”

Allen went 8-28 at the helm of the Raiders before getting axed. His Saints tenure was actually more successful, as it featured a 9-8 season (2023). 

As noted by Benjamin, Allen shouldn’t be seen as a failure, even if he's been unable to figure it out as a head coach. He’s obviously a gifted defensive coordinator.

Sometimes, the wrong situation or role means everything. Just ask all-time great head coach Urban Meyer, who failed miserably with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a stain on his resume that also landed Meyer at No. 1 on Benjamin’s list.

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