The New Orleans Saints are coming off a disappointing 9-8 campaign in which they missed the playoffs. Head coach Dennis Allen and starting quarterback Derek Carr are now entering a season with immense pressure on their shoulders. It's postseason-or-bust in 2024. Failure would likely result in the Saints undergoing significant changes next offseason.
Allen returns after missing the playoffs in both of his seasons in charge, compiling a lackluster record of 16-18 across 2022 and 2023. Retaining Allen wasn't a popular decision by general manager Mickey Loomis. A third consecutive playoff-less campaign would surely conclude his thus-far forgettable tenure.
The Saints signed Carr at quarterback last offseason following his release from the Las Vegas Raiders. The idea was that a veteran signal-caller would help them compete for the postseason after spending 2021 and 2022 wandering the desert in the wake of Drew Brees’ departure. Carr did not meet expectations after signing a four-year contract worth $150 million.
Carr threw for 3,878 yards, the fourth-lowest total of his 10-year career. His average of 228.1 passing yards per contest was a personal-low mark since his 2014 rookie season, which was partially coached by Allen in Oakland. Carr did throw for 25 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, but the desired week-to-week consistency wasn't present.
Allen made a shrewd offseason hire that's intended to salvage his head coaching stint while getting Carr back on track. Long-term offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was relieved of his duties following the conclusion of the 2023 season. Carmichael was replaced by former San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak.
In 2023, Kubiak helped 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan oversee the league's second-ranked offense, one that produced 398.4 yards per game. Second-year quarterback Brock Purdy built on his surprising 2022 rookie success by throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns as a sophomore. The 49ers fielded a top-five passing attack. That's the type of production the Saints hope Kubiak brings to New Orleans.
Kubiak is a last-ditch hire by Allen, who's job is undeniably at risk. For Carr, the 2024 campaign will also represent his final opportunity to convince he's New Orleans' appropriate starter for 2025 and beyond. A new regime would almost certainly mean a new starting quarterback. The Saints could create $30 million in cap savings next offseason by designating Carr as a post-June-1 release, according to Over The Cap.
The Saints don't have a shoo-in starting quarterback in waiting, though they have drafted Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler in recent drafts. If they miss the playoffs in 2024 for a third straight season, they could be positioned to draft a prospect like Carson Beck, Quinn Ewers, or Shedeur Sanders. A full reset is within the realm of possibility.
A do-or-die season for Allen and Carr looms large in New Orleans. Perhaps even the once untouchable Loomis is facing the possibility of being replaced despite being named GM more than two decades ago (2002). A successful 2024 Saints campaign means making the postseason.