The Falcons will travel to New Orleans this weekend to take on the Saints, who just fired Dennis Allen.
It actually presents a unique challenge. It’s a rivalry game in the Superdome, so it was always going to be difficult. The firing, however, has given the fan base and team new life.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, Falcons fans can rest easy knowing that their organization is an ascending one and that their most hated rivals are just beginning their long descent.
The good news for Atlanta? There might not be a more undesirable head coaching position in recent memory than the Saints. Who would want to inherit this roster?
Most of their key pieces are on the wrong side of 30 or soon will be — Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara, Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Tyrann Mathieu and Taysom Hill. Fortunately for Saints fans, you’ll have a high draft pick this year because of your pitiful record. Fortunately for Falcons fans, general manager Mickey Loomis is still in control.
The Saints GM has struggled drafting since that incredible 2017 class, which saw Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk and Marshon Lattimore come to town. In the last few years, he’s missed in the first round on guys like Trevor Penning and Payton Turner.
But more than anything, Mickey Loomis has consistently charged the company credit card to keep their “window” open, constantly restructuring contracts. It made sense at the end of the Drew Brees and Sean Payton era, but it’s not so sensible for a guy like Derek Carr. But hey, as a Falcons fan, keep it going!
The incoming head coach will have to work with Loomis to fix the roster, and guess what he’ll have in his war chest? $61 million in cap space. Actually, sorry, that’s a typo; the Saints are projected to have negative $61 million in cap space in 2025, per Over the Cap.
This is an aging roster, a 2-7 roster, with no cash to spend on free agents, led by a GM who has seemingly lost his touch of identifying talent in the draft. I can’t think of a worse situation to be stepping into. It’s going to take multiple years just to get back to neutral.
For Falcons fans, it’s a dream come true. No respectable head coach candidate will want that job. Ben Johnson? Yeah right. Saints fans should be looking at candidates that nobody else wants because that’s where you’ll be shopping.
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Photographer: David Jensen/Icon Sportswire
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