The Saints would prefer to be playing in Super Bowl LIII this Sunday, but they aren’t in Atlanta and they’re taking care of some other business instead.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the team is finalizing a new deal with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Allen joined the Saints as a defensive assistant in 2015 and moved up to the coordinator post later that year when the Saints fired Rob Ryan. The defense did not do well in his first full year on the job, but has been better during back-to-back trips to the postseason in 2017 and 2018.
Allen interviewed with the Dolphins for their head coaching vacancy last month after they fired Adam Gase and before they settled on Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores as their choice to take over the top spot on the coaching staff. He went 8-28 in two-plus seasons as the Raiders head coach.