Report reveals Saints’ surprising plan after firing head coach

The New Orleans Saints have made some big changes in the past week, but that doesn’t mean they see themselves in the early stages of a rebuild.

Dennis Allen was fired as head coach of the Saints after the team lost to the Carolina Panthers in Week 9. New Orleans then parted ways with one of its best players when it traded Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

The Saints also have major salary cap issues, as they are projected to be around $60 million over the cap in 2025. Despite all that, Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that the Saints as an organization don’t believe in blowing up their team and starting over. They would rather try to restructure the contracts of key veterans like Derek Carr, Cameron Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu than trade players to accumulate draft picks.

After New Orleans fired Allen, general manager Mickey Loomis noted that an “avalanche of injuries” had taken its toll on the team. Carr missed several games with an oblique injury and star wide receiver Chris Olave has since suffered multiple concussions. Some of that contributed to the Saints falling off a cliff after their offense looked explosive in a 2-0 start.

If the Saints want to avoid a rebuild, they will have to get very creative this offseason. They seem determined to do this, even if they don’t seem too close to doing so.