The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday, November 4 following the Saints’ loss to the Carolina Panthers the day before. It was the Saint’s seventh loss of the season in just nine games.

They then made the uninspiring decision to promote assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi to interim head coach – a move that screams a rebuild is coming.

So what’s next? How quickly can things change for New Orleans? And what will a turnaround in 2025 look like compared to the future? There is no clear path to success for the 2025 season, but there are steps to take that can prepare the Saints for next year and prepare them for years to come.

Let me be the first to say: yuck. I NEVER like to call for a job. Personally, I think we’re all too flippant about firing anyone in this area, and too quick to think that this will solve all the problems…that being said, the Saints should fire Mickey Loomis.

Loomis is the executive vice president and general manager of the Saints. He is in one way or another responsible for every football move in the organization. Most notably, he’s the one who works his black magic on their salary cap every offseason. Restructuring contracts like he’s Marshawn Lynch crossing “someone’s” face.

Loomis has been with the Saints since 2000, general manager since 2002 and executive vice president since 2013. The organizational structure, now that Sean Payton and his disciples are gone, begins and ends with Loomis. If New Orleans truly wants to turn the page, it starts by letting go of Loomis.

Letting go of Loomis will finally clear the way for this team to get their books right. There are nine players on the roster aged 29 or older who have a double-digit cap hit for 2025 that can be moved. Whether by trade or release after June 1, Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Cameron Jordan, Taysom Hill, Demario Davis, Ryan Ramczyk, Tyrann Mathieu and Carl Anderson can all provide real cap relief in 2025 in not on the list. .

The hardest part is Carr, who would have to be traded, not released, after June 1 to provide any relief to the books. There’s a chance that a QB-needy team that missed the draft and free agency will take a chance, but it’s unlikely. So New Orleans may have to hold out for another year. But all other names can be moved to create some flexibility in the future.

A few other players like Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Chase Young also have moving cap numbers, but those players are 28 or younger. And in the case of McCoy and Ruiz, I wouldn’t want to give up good offensive linemen in their 20s. Even on a team that will be bad for a few seasons.

Speaking of being bad, just be bad. Because you already are. What the Saints can’t do is take the money or draft picks they got from the above plan and spend them on a veteran. And, at least for one season, it cannot retain, restructure or extend current players. The list should run for a year or two before making any real investments.

Tanking also doesn’t need to put the worst possible team on the field in hopes of getting the first overall pick. There are plenty of top players who would still stay after the moves I suggested. What I’m saying is don’t pay an expensive right tackle to play over Trevor Penning next year in hopes of winning one or two more games. Don’t release Cameron Jordan and Carl Granderson just so someone can play Isaiah Foskey.

What has gotten the Saints to the position they are in is the continuation of past successes. New Orleans hasn’t won a double-digit game or made the playoffs since 2020. And yet, they’re still “all-in” from a financial standpoint. Instead of making financial investments, they should do it elsewhere.

4. Build through the NFL Draft

Ta-Da! Why spend money when you can spend draft picks? That certainly hasn’t been the case for this team in recent years. In the seven drafts since their historic 2017 class, the Saints have only had one class where they:

1. I made a choice in each round of the first two days, and
2. Made at least seven choices

To talk about building through the project and adopting the tank, a perfect example is CB Paulson Adebo. Adebo is a good player. He was the Saints’ draft pick and was successful. And he’s only 25 years old. He’s a classic candidate for re-signing. But New Orleans needs to let him go.

Instead of signing Adebo to a top-20 cornerback contract, they can count on last year’s draft pick, Kool-Aid McKinstry, to step up or draft another corner in the first three rounds. Additionally, they can receive a compensatory pick in 2026 by letting Adebo go and not making any equal or larger moves.

The best teams are built through the draft. This version of the Saints was so well written several years ago that they are still paid for that. It’s time to start this cycle again.

This one is a bit of a substitute for each team. Of course, everyone wants to hire Ben Johnson this offseason. But Johnson isn’t just a great fit for his offensive schemes and play-calling. He also has the human characteristics you look for in a head coach.

Ben Johnson enjoys the relationship aspect of the job. He said this to members of the media and prospective college applicants. And he wants to build something in the long term. He said this over the summer about returning to Detroit.

“Look, there’s a lot of things that come into play, a lot of reasons and dynamics that play a role. Something that really gets to me is, OK, eight openings last year. ) in three years? How many are still employed? I would say the overrun is 4.5, I would say there’s a good chance five of them will be unemployed in three years, you know when I look at it under that? angle, if I have the opportunity to go down this path, it’s about how do I get that second contract?

New Orleans can offer something most other jobs can’t this offseason: a story of patience. Of course, there was a Super Bowl win in there. But Mickey Loomis has been with the team since 2000. Sean Payton was the head coach of the team from 2006 to 2021. And even Dennis Allen was with the team since 2015.

Both Johnson and the Saints believe in stability and a positive environment. The Saints have been stuck in mediocrity for a long time. There is no rush like in other places to get a miraculous turnaround. This could be another happy marriage that will bring success to both parties.