NFC South

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi held his first press conference Monday afternoon since his appointment, stating that he told the team, "Everybody and everything's gonna get reevaluated," according to Pro Football Talks, Josh Alper.

One change that the Rizzi stressed he will not be implementing is one at the quarterback position as Derek Carr will serve as the base for the team.

Carr has posted a 67.9% completion rate with 1,225 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions.

"Evaluated and reevaluated, because right now the product is not acceptable," Rizzi said. "Everything down from the schedule to how we do things to the active players to the daily schedule, we're gonna look at everything."

Rizzi has been serving as New Orleans' special teams coordinator since 2019 and wants the team around Carr to be, "full of passion and full of fighters ahead of their game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Former head coach Dennis Allen was fired following the team's 23-22 loss on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers which dropped the Raiders to 2-7 with their seventh straight loss.

Rizzi said emphasized that, "no one should be happy," following the Saints not being able to find a win since Week 2.

The Saints will be at home on Sunday to take on the 6-3 Falcons.

The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The Saints were defeated by the Carolina Panthers in Week 9, losing 23-22 and extending their losing streak to seven games. Following a 2-0 start to the season, New Orleans fell to last place in the NFC South following the loss to Carolina.

Fans and former players called out Allen and the Saints on social media after the reported firing.

Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi has been named New Orleans' interim coach, per The Athletic's Dianna Russini.

Allen finished with a record of 18-25 with the Saints, missing the playoffs in each of his two full seasons leading the team. He became the first head coach to get fired by New Orleans in the middle of the season since 1980 (h/t Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune).

The latest defeat was especially disappointing, as the Panthers entered the contest with a 1-7 record as well as a five-game losing streak of their own. New Orleans also previously took down Carolina in Week 1, securing a lopsided 47-10 win.

ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted that the Saints won the turnover battle, rushed for over 150 yards and gained over 150 more total yards than the Panthers on Sunday. Prior to the loss, teams that met those requirements in a single game owned a record of 275-0.

Multiple players on Allen's defense expressed frustration with the loss on social media after the game, including defensive end Cameron Jordan and defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.

Despite Allen's history as New Orleans defensive coordinator from 2015 through 2021, issues with stopping opponents became evident throughout the team's current losing streak.

The Saints have allowed 376.4 yards and 25.4 points per game this season. Those averages represent the fifth- and seventh-worst marks among all NFL teams, respectively.

As New Orleans attempts to put an end to its seven-game skid against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, Allen will no longer be patrolling the sidelines.

The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi was named the team's interim head coach.

ESPN's Adam Schefter first reported the news.

The move comes after the Saints lost 23-22 to Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, who are generally considered to be the NFL's worst team. It was New Orleans' seventh straight defeat after it opened the season 2-0.

Allen's seat was pretty warm coming into the year.

The Saints went 16-18 through his first two years, and his earlier tenure with the Oakland Raiders didn't offer a ton of encouragement about whether he could spark a big turnaround. The Raiders were 8-28 in his two-plus seasons.

Even if New Orleans won Sunday, Allen was probably on borrowed time by this point. Saints insider Nick Underhill reported that team owner Gayle Benson began meeting with players well ahead of the Panthers game "to get a feel for what was wrong."

Losing to Carolina was clearly a bridge too far. The result was bad enough for defensive linemen Cameron Jordan and Khalen Saunders to apologize to fans on social media:

As much as Allen's ouster is warranted, though, changing the coaches won't remedy all of the problems the franchise is facing.

The front office is reaping what it sowed in terms of its approach to the quarterback position.

Following Drew Brees' retirement after the 2020 season, New Orleans went with a pair of stopgaps in Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton in lieu of developing a draft pick. Spending $150 million on Derek Carr isn't proving to be much better than that approach.

Loomis' wizardry with the salary cap only lasts for so long, too. Every year, New Orleans' front office moved around enough money to stay under the cap and often make some big improvements.

Now, the team is in all likelihood going to miss the playoffs and carry a payroll into 2025 that's projected to be $77.4 million over the salary cap, per Spotrac.

Maybe it's time to consider wiping the entire slate clean from an organizational level.

At the very least, the Saints need to take a step back and rebuild for a year or two rather than keep trying to contend with steadily diminishing returns.

And that's not exactly a great sales pitch to prospective coaching candidates.

After former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas made several social media posts criticizing Derek Carr, the quarterback gave his thoughts on the situation following a loss to the Carolina Panthers.

I have love for Mike. But when he does that, I don't really care for it, obviously. I've had so many teammates over the years and he's like the one dude that didn't get along with me, and I don't know what I did to him, I don't know why he feels that way. I'm sorry for whatever he's dealing with to make him feel like he's got to do that. But he's never called me during any of this. My phone number has never changed, I've, in fact, called him on many different occasions... It's unfortunate, especially coming from a player like that, but I wish him the best. I hope he gets on a team and does want he wants to do and loves it.

In Sunday's loss, Saints receiver Chris Olave suffered a concussion after taking a hard hit while trying to bring in a pass from Carr, leading to criticism from Thomas.

Thomas, who is currently a free agent, caught passes from Carr last season when he was in New Orleans. After a handful of injury-ridden seasons, Thomas had just 448 receiving yards and a touchdown, far from the numbers he put up from 2016 to 2019.

Carr explained that, despite what Thomas had to say, the play was executed as the Saints had drawn it up.

"It was single-high, the ball went to where we talked about it going and Chris got hit in the head, unfortunately," Carr said. "That happens in our game and I would never do it on purpose. I didn't throw him into a bad look... When it comes to the football aspect of it, I really don't have an answer for it."

Olave is New Orleans' leading receiver so far this season with 400 yards and a touchdown and led the team in receiver yards the past two seasons as well. Unfortunately for the Saints, they'll have to find production elsewhere until Olave is able to play.

After two blowout wins to start the year, the Saints have struggled, losing seven consecutive games. A loss to the Panthers could perhaps be rock bottom for New Orleans.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan expressed his disappointment with a narrow 23-22 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

"We just lost to the panthers… I love y'all New Orleans truly had higher expectations and the best of hopes for us, y'all deserve it," Jordan wrote in a post on X.

The veteran pass-rusher finished with only one tackle against a Panthers team that entered Week 9 with a record of just 1-7.

The loss marked a drastic change compared to the previous meeting between both teams, as New Orleans took down Carolina by the final score of 47-10 in Week 1.

The Saints were defeated for the seventh consecutive time on Sunday, representing their first seven-game losing streak since the 1999 season (h/t ESPN's Katherine Terrell).

New Orleans' inability to consistently finish drives was one of the main reasons for the low-scoring performance against Carolina. The Saints picked up 25 first downs and gained 427 total yards compared to 15 first downs and 246 yards for the Panthers, respectively.

Carolina took a one-point advantage late in the fourth quarter with a 16-yard touchdown run by Chuba Hubbard, giving New Orleans just over two minutes to try and take the lead back.

A pass from Derek Carr fell incomplete on fourth down with roughly one minute remaining, though.

Carr returned from a three-game absence due to an oblique strain and looked comfortable in the pocket. He finished 18-of-31 for 236 yards and a touchdown, wrapping up his first game without an interception since Week 1.

The veteran quarterback was similarly discouraged by the loss to Carolina.

"This one, this one hurts," Carr said after the game, per SI.com's John Hendrix. "If I were our fans, I'd be pissed right now, because we are too. It baffles us to come in here and get a loss like that. That hurts too."

At 35 years old, Jordan may no longer be the same player that made eight Pro Bowl appearances from 2013 through 2022. Still, New Orleans' front seven was only able to sack Panthers signal-caller Bryce Young once during the contest.

After opening the season with a 2-0 record, the Saints now sit in last place among NFC South teams at 2-7.

Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas did not hold back when talking about quarterback Derek Carr.

After Saints wide receiver Chris Olave suffered a concussion on a hard hit while attempting to catch a Carr pass over the middle of the field during Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers, Thomas took to social media to rip his former teammate and signal-caller.

Of note, he said New Orleans should get Carr "the f out of here."

Thomas was teammates with Carr last season and finished with 39 catches for 448 yards and one touchdown in 10 games.

It was a far cry from when he led the league in catches in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019. He also led the league in receiving yards in 2019 with 1,725 on his 149 catches.

Injuries proved to be a problem from there, as he played seven games in 2020, missed the entire 2021 campaign and then played three games in 2022. Last season was the most he has played since 2019, but he was unable to replicate some of his previous numbers while catching passes from Carr.

New Orleans still went 9-8 in Carr's first season with the team in 2023, although it fell short of the playoffs.

Olave was the team's leading receiver last year with 1,123 yards.

However, his health is now the biggest concern following Sunday's concussion. He was carted off the field following the hit that was penalized and has now been sidelined by a concussion multiple times this season.

Thomas was not happy with the situation and did not hesitate to call out the quarterback who made the pass on the play.

The New Orleans Saints ruled out wide receiver Chris Olave for the remainder of Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers after he suffered a concussion while taking an illegal hit over the middle of the field.

Olave, who was laying still on the field after the blow to his head and appeared to potentially be knocked unconscious, "has movement in all extremities and is undergoing further evaluation at Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center," per the team. He has since been discharged from the hospital.

Xavier Woods, the Panthers safety who hit Olave on the play, was penalized for unnecessary roughness. While Olave was placed on a stretcher, he was able to move his arms while being taken off the field.

His brother later provided the following update:

Olave's former teammate, wide receiver Michael Thomas, had harsh words for quarterback Derek Carr—who threw the ball over the middle into double coverage—during a lengthy rant on social media:

Olave, 24, has now suffered five concussions in his playing career (four with the Saints, one in college at Ohio State), including one this season in October. He was also evaluated for a concussion last week during a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

It's become a major concern for the talented young receiver, who exceeded 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first two seasons. He got off to a slower start this year, posting 31 catches for 387 yards and a touchdown in his first seven contests, but remained the team's most talented option in the passing game.

The Saints are now without Olave and fellow wideout Rashid Shaheed, severely limiting Carr's weapons. That's a tough development for a Saints team that had lost six straight games coming into Sunday after starting the year 2-0.

The Carolina Panthers are largely playing out the string on the 2024 season at this point, but that reportedly doesn't mean they will trade pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.

"Jadeveon Clowney has been a name that has been in discussions as well," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday (0:49 mark). "Several teams have called the Carolina Panthers about the veteran pass-rusher. However, my understanding is it's more likely that Clowney stays in Carolina than he gets traded."

Clowney is signed through next season as well, so the Panthers could choose to keep him with the hope he helps inspire a turnaround in 2025.

Still, the 31-year-old seemed to be an obvious trade candidate from a struggling team that needs more draft picks and younger players to accelerate the timeline on an ongoing rebuild. Carolina is 1-7 on the season after going 2-15 in 2023.

There was a time when moving the pass-rusher would have been a major development.

He was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft and made three straight Pro Bowls in his third, fourth and fifth seasons in the league. The South Carolina product has reached the nine-sack mark four different times in his career, including last season when he posted 9.5

Clowney has bounced around throughout his career and played for the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens and Panthers. Carolina surely hoped he would be the same type of player he was last year for the Ravens in 2024, but that has not proven to be the case.

He has just one sack in six games and has largely struggled to generate the same type of pressure he did earlier in his career.

Perhaps a change of scenery with a trade ahead of Tuesday's deadline would have helped him rediscover his previous form, but it doesn't seem like that will be the case.

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore is reportedly drawing interest from NFL teams ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Saints have fielded calls about the four-time Pro Bowler's availability and that the hamstring injury that will sideline him for Week 9 has not stopped franchises from pursuing him.

"The Saints have gotten calls about Marshon Lattimore, according to league sources," Schefter wrote. "One of the potential holdups of a deal is Lattimore's health, sources said. The four-time Pro Bowl cornerback is not playing Sunday against the Panthers, but it hasn't stopped teams from calling about him, including the two-time defending champion Chiefs."

Lattimore has suited up in seven games for New Orleans this season, recording 30 total tackles and two pass deflections. He has 15 career interceptions, five forced fumbles and 405 total tackles in his eight-year career and has spent the entirety of it with the Saints.

With New Orleans sitting 2-6 and needing a complete momentum shift to reach the postseason, recouping draft capital for Lattimore could be an intriguing option. He is under contract through 2026 but has an out in his contract following the 2024 campaign. Lattimore carried a cap hit of $14.6 million at the start of the season.

Needless to say, a corner of his experience could be a solid pickup for a team looking to solidify the secondary for a potential Super Bowl run. While he may need some time to recover from the hamstring issue, his playoff experience and proven ability make him an attractive option—especially for a team like the Chiefs that can afford to be patient amid a 7-0 start.