Three hottest seats on the New Orleans Saints

The stakes were raised for the 2023 Saints when they signed 31-year-old QB Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal. New Orleans hopes Carr follows the path of QB Matthew Stafford, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams the season after his trade from the Lions.

Anything short of a run to the playoffs will lead to some hot seats in The Big Easy.

1. Head coach Dennis Allen

Allen hopes his second run with Carr has a better outcome than his first. Carr was drafted 36th overall by the Raiders in 2014, Allen's third year as the team's head coach. He was fired four games into that season.

Allen's career head-coaching record (15-38) doesn't inspire confidence for a quick turnaround after New Orleans went 7-10 in his first year in charge.

Allen, New Orleans defensive coordinator from 2015-21, deserves praise for his role in turning around a defense that was the laughingstock of the league. But the clock is ticking on him as a head coach. 

All fingers will point toward him if the team disappoints.

2. Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael

Carmichael is in a similar boat as Allen. The front office places enormous value on continuity, but if things don't improve this season. there should be a huge shakeup to the status quo.  That would begin with a new offensive coordinator. Carmichael is a holdover of the Sean Payton era and if the team struggles and Allen somehow survives, he would be an easy scapegoat.

The offense was once at the forefront of the NFL's offensive revolution but has been unimaginative of late, including Carmichael's first year running the show without Payton or Brees in 2022. The team ranked 22nd in points per game (19.4), the team's worst rank since Carmichael was named offensive coordinator in 2009. 

3. Running back Alvin Kamara

Kamara has been a huge cog in the offense since he was drafted in 2017, but his status is unknown for 2023.

Off the field, he was indicted on criminal charges of conspiracy to commit battery and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm in Las Vegas.

On the field, he is coming off his two quietest seasons with the Saints, who would be wise to look toward the draft for depth at the position. He averaged 14.5 touchdowns per season in his first four years in the league but is only averaging 6.5 per season in the last two. After hauling in at least 81 receptions a season from 2017-20, he had 104 receptions combined in 2021 and 2022.