| Chicago Bears | |
|---|---|
| Title | Defensive coordinator |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1972-09-22)September 22, 1972 (age 53) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | L. D. Bell (Hurst, Texas) |
| College | Texas A&M (1992–1995) |
| NFL draft | 1996: undrafted |
| Position | Safety |
| Career history | |
Playing | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
Coaching | |
| |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Regular season | 26–53 (.329) |
| Postseason | 0–0 (–) |
| Career | 26–53 (.329) |
| Coaching profile atPro Football Reference | |
Dennis James Allen (born September 22, 1972) is an American professionalfootball coach and formersafety who is thedefensive coordinator for theChicago Bears of theNational Football League (NFL). He previously served ashead coach of theOakland Raiders andNew Orleans Saints, and has served as an assistant coach for theTexas A&M Aggies,Tulsa Golden Hurricane,Atlanta Falcons, andDenver Broncos.
Born inAtlanta when his father,Grady Allen, was playing for theAtlanta Falcons, Allen grew up inHurst, Texas nearFort Worth and graduated fromL. D. Bell High School.[1][2][3] Allen attendedTexas A&M University and played as asafety onR. C. Slocum's "Wrecking Crew" defense. Allen made an interception in the fourth quarter that secured an 18–9 win for Texas A&M overrivalTexas. In the 1994 and 1995 seasons, Allen started the final 21 games of his collegiate career and was part of a defensive unit that ranked in the top five in the nation.[3] Allen earned aB.B.A. in management fromTexas A&M’s Mays Business School in 1995.[4] In 1996, Allen signed with theBuffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent but was cut during training camp.[3]
Allen began his coaching career at his alma mater Texas A&M, as a graduate assistant coach under his former coach R. C. Slocum. Holding that position from 1996 to 1999, Allen worked mostly with the secondary while pursuing a master's degree inkinesiology from theTexas A&M College of Education. He completed his degree in 1998.[4] From 2000 to 2001, Allen coached the secondary atTulsa.[4]
With theAtlanta Falcons, Allen was a defensive quality control coach from 2002 to 2003, then a defensive assistant from 2004 to 2005.[5]
Allen then moved to theNew Orleans Saints, as defensive line coach from 2006 to 2007 before being secondary coach from 2008 to 2010. The Saints wonSuper Bowl XLIV in 2009, in which the Saints ranked 3rd in interceptions despite giving up 321 yards per game.[6]
After his success with the Saints' secondary, he was hired to be theDenver Broncos’ defensive coordinator. The Broncos defense was in the bottom half of yards allowed, ranked 23rd, but were 5th in the league in sacks in 2011.[7][8][9]
On January 24, 2012,Oakland Raiders' general managerReggie McKenzie hired Allen as the team's 18th head coach.[10] He was the first Raiders defense-oriented head coach sinceJohn Madden's retirement after the 1978 season, because the team's longtime former ownerAl Davis (until his death during the 2011 season) preferred offensive-minded head coaches.[11] At the age of 39, he was also the youngest head coach in the league.[12]
In his first season as head coach, the Raiders struggled as they finished the 2012 season with a record of 4–12.[13] That offseason, the Raiders were facingsalary cap problems and had traded away most of their draft picks prior to Allen's arrival, which did not allow him to establish his system with the right players. In the middle of the 2013 season, Allen decided to bench quarterbackTerrelle Pryor (who was injured) for undrafted rookieMatt McGloin, in hopes of salvaging the rest of the season. Later, Pryor continued to be benched although he was healthy enough to return.[14] The Raiders finished with a 4–12 record in the 2013 season.[15]
On September 29, 2014, following a 38–14 loss to theMiami Dolphins and beginning the2014 NFL season with 4 straight losses, Allen was fired.[16]
The Saints rehired Allen as senior defensive assistant on January 20, 2015. AfterRob Ryan was fired later in the season, on November 16, Allen was promoted todefensive coordinator.[17] On November 29, Allen's first game as defensive coordinator, the Saints were defeated by theHouston Texans 24–6. His defense gave up 362 yards while recording one sack and one interception in the loss.
On December 19, 2021, Allen briefly stepped in forSean Payton as interim head coach of the Saints after Payton tested positive forCOVID-19. Allen served as interim head coach during the Saints' Week 15 matchup against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, where the Saints defeated the Buccaneers onSunday Night Football, 9–0.[18]
Following Sean Payton's retirement on January 25, Allen was promoted to head coach of the New Orleans Saints on February 8, 2022.[19][20] On December 10, the NFL fined Allen $100,000 for defensive endCameron Jordan faking an injury in the Week 13 game against theTampa Bay Buccaneers.[21] The fine was later rescinded after a successful appeal by Jordan.[22] In the 2022 season, he led the team to a 7–10 record.[23] The team improved to a 9–8 mark in the 2023 season but failed to make the postseason.[24]
On November 4, 2024, following a 23–22 loss to theCarolina Panthers in Week 9 of the2024 season (the seventh straight loss for the Saints after a 2–0 start), Allen was fired.[25]
On January 28, 2025, theChicago Bears announced Allen as their defensive coordinator.[26]
His fatherGrady Allen was also a standoutlinebacker forthe Aggies and later in the NFL for the Falcons.[27] Dennis and his wife, Alisson, have a son, Garrison, and a daughter, Layla.[28]
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| OAK | 2012 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 3rd in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| OAK | 2013 | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 4th in AFC West | — | — | — | — |
| OAK | 2014 | 0 | 4 | 0 | .000 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| OAK total | 8 | 28 | 0 | .222 | — | — | — | |||
| NO | 2022 | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 3rd in NFC South | — | — | — | — |
| NO | 2023 | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 2nd in NFC South | — | — | — | — |
| NO | 2024 | 2 | 7 | 0 | .222 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| NO total | 18 | 25 | 0 | .419 | — | — | — | |||
| Total[29] | 26 | 53 | 0 | .329 | — | — | — | |||
