One pathway to losing a coveted NFL coaching job? Fall to the lowly Carolina Panthers two months after beating their brakes off in a hope-fueled 47-10 opener.

Thus was the fate of now-former New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen, who was dismissed Monday morning – not even a full day after a 23-22 defeat in Charlotte ran the Saints’ losing streak to seven … and in the wake of a 2-0 start in which they outscored their opponents, the Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, 91-29. For Allen, he’s now lost both of his NFL head jobs midway through Year 3, his latest dismissal coming 10 years after the Oakland Raiders dropped him following an 0-4 start to the 2014 season. Previously their defensive coordinator, Allen was in his 15th season with the Saints and finishes his tenure as their HC with an 18-25 record. He’s 26-53 overall and has never guided a team to postseason. Owner Gayle Benson cited his loyalty and professionalism but moved forward with the change anyway.

Yet like his situation in the East Bay a decade ago, Allen departs a posting that comes with serious challenges. So let’s explore how enticing the Saints job is:

Quarterback situation

Since coming to the Big Easy last year, Derek Carr has pretty much been what he was with the Raiders – solid, fine, steady … unspectacular. He’s gone 11-12 in his 23 starts with the Saints, passing for 34 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while posting a 98.0 QB rating that’s more than six points better than his mark with the Silver and Black. However he’s averaged a shade under 222 yards through the air in New Orleans, which is 26.1 fewer than his figure with the Raiders.

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It’s a decent body of work, especially considering some of the protection problems Carr has had and a steady rate of injuries affecting his receiver corps. It’s also not exactly what New Orleans was hoping for after signing him to a four-year, $150 million contract last year – the franchise trying to restore itself as an NFC South power after wallowing around .500 following Drew Brees’ retirement in the aftermath of the 2020 season. Yet it’s been status quo with Carr, the club mired in a rut and with almost zero chance of qualifying for its first playoff game since Brees and Co. were ousted four years ago in the last one by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the way to their Super Bowl 55 victory and subsequent dominance of the division at large.

Youngsters Spencer Rattler, 24, and Jake Haener, 25, mostly struggled in recent weeks after getting opportunities to play while Carr missed three starts with an oblique injury. Rattler’s potential dates back to his high school days and sometimes-promising tenures at the University of Oklahoma and University of South Carolina. The rookie was the first quarterback drafted this year outside the first round (Round 5) and didn’t exactly get to play with a full deck given the Saints’ heap of injury issues.

Still, with a 2-7 record, New Orleans is on track to own a top-five pick in next year’s draft. Cutting Carr in 2025 would mean a $50 million dead cap hit but would spare the Saints from paying his base salary, which balloons from $1.2 million in 2024 to $30 million next year and $50 million in 2026. It would also stand to reason that a new coach, especially an offensively minded one, likely would prefer to chart a course that doesn’t include Carr in what would likely be a bridge or obviously temporary role.

Roster

There are a lot of name brands here – LB Demario Davis, DE Cam Jordan, RB Alvin Kamara, CB Marshon Lattimore and DB Tyrann Mathieu among them. But aside from Kamara, who just signed a two-year extension, they’re all pretty much in concerning decline. GM Mickey Loomis admitted in a statement Monday morning that Allen had also been victimized by ‘an avalanche of injuries.’

The future foundation will seemingly be comprised of relative youngsters such as DT Bryan Bresee, LT Taliese Fuaga, DE Carl Granderson, C Erik McCoy, CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, WR Chris Olave, G Cesar Ruiz, WR Rashid Shaheed, DB Alontae Taylor and LB Pete Werner. It doesn’t necessarily seem like a nascent powerhouse, yet it’s also far from an empty cupboard.

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Salary cap

No team runs up the NFL version of credit card debt like this one, and it could be an important consideration for anyone who chooses to team with Loomis, now in his 23rd season with the small-market franchise and currently the NFL’s longest-serving general manager. Under Loomis, the Saints typically spread out contractual cap hits by adding void years to player contracts. New Orleans is currently more than $60 million overspent in 2025, per Over The Cap – the largest figure in the league by orders of magnitude – and that’s before incurring the potential hit that would be created by parting with Carr. The team typically does a series of significant restructures and/or releases every March to become cap compliant, but that can handcuff the Saints once free agency begins in earnest. DE Chase Young, who signed a one-year, $13 million pact, was the only significant addition earlier this year. And given how matters are trending, New Orleans likely won’t be a plum destination for veterans in 2025, either.

2025 draft

The Saints are currently one of nine teams with two wins, meaning they’re squarely in the mix to get the No. 1 overall pick next year and will select early in each of the first five rounds – given they continue to own all of their choices in those slots. They should land a nice cluster of players, though it doesn’t presently appear this draft has a bumper crop of quarterbacks.

Outlook

When you’re talking about one of 32 jobs, prospective coaching candidates are unlikely to turn their noses up at the Saints. There’s enough to like here and (currently) a stable enough front office and ownership situation that the successor to Allen – he was promoted in 2022 after predecessor Sean Payton’s surprising and belated “retirement” – should get a decent runway to flourish. Any coach able to pick his next job might want the assurance of a longer-term commitment between team and city. But few fans are as passionate as New Orleans’, and the civic bond to the organization was only strengthened by Hurricane Katrina. This may not be the best vacant job in 2025, but it should hardly be the worst, either.

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter, @ByNateDavis.

The NFL trade deadline is drawing close, with teams having one last chance to make a significant roster shake-up before forging on with the second half of the regular season.

Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET marks the official cutoff for all 32 teams, though many have already taken action, with nine deals having been completed since the start of the season. But could any more notable moves be ahead in the next day?

USA TODAY Sports will be providing updates from around the league on all the latest news and buzz related to the trade deadline, so check back often for the newest information:

Browns trying to tune out trade deadline buzz

Among potential sellers, the Cleveland Browns might be the team to watch at the NFL trade deadline.

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Having already moved wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland has several other candidates to be sent packing by Tuesday, including defensive end Za’Darius Smith, defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris, wide receiver Elijah Moore and cornerback Greg Newsome II.

‘Honestly, we’re just focused on just really who’s here, who’s present, knowing that we have no control over any of those things,’ safety Rodney McLeod said Monday. ‘So what we focus on as players is, again, how can we do our jobs better in order to get a win on Sunday? And that’s what we’re here to do. We’re here to win games, and we leave the rest to whosever role that is, to be quite honest.’

Smith has been widely linked to the Detroit Lions, who are in the market for a defensive end after Aidan Hutchinson broke his tibia and fibula. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the compensation could be a fourth-round pick.

Cardinals trade for pass rush help, land Broncos’ Baron Browning

The Arizona Cardinals are gearing up for a potential playoff push in the NFC West.

The Cardinals on Monday agreed to acquire outside linebacker Baron Browning from the Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round pick.

Browning, 25, is a former third-round pick out of Ohio State with 9 1/2 career sacks. He began the season as a starter and played in the first two games before landing on injured reserve with a foot injury. But with Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper combining for 11 1/2 sacks so far this season, Browning was superfluous as he completes the final year of his rookie contract. Cooper, meanwhile, signed a four-year, $60 million contract extension with the Broncos over the weekend, a person with knowledge of the move confirmed to USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not disclosed financial terms of the agreement.

The Cardinals, who lead the division at 5-4, now have an extra piece to boost a pass rush that had struggled throughout the season until Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears, in which the defense recorded six sacks of Caleb Williams.

But who won the deal? Check out our trade grades for both the Cardinals and Broncos.

Cowboys’ NFL trade deadline plans: Anything brewing?

Jerry Jones isn’t letting go of hope that the Cowboys’ season can be saved. Despite his team standing at 3-5, Jones suggested his team could be looking to buy at the NFL trade deadline.

“We’ve got to do a couple things this week,” Jones said after Sunday’s 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

But count USA TODAY Sports’ Jarrett Bell among the skeptics that Jones will break from his personnel pattern and swing a substantial move. And things could be shifting even more now that quarterback Dak Prescott is expected to be out multiple weeks, according to reports from ESPN and NFL Network.

Bell takes a closer look at Dallas’ outlook in his column from Sunday.

Could Saints be sellers at NFL trade deadline after firing Dennis Allen?

In firing Dennis Allen on Monday, the New Orleans Saints made one drastic move to signal they won’t be clinging to the status quo. Could more be coming ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline?

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said that the team is not expected to hold a fire sale. And given the rampant restructures that the team has engaged in throughout the past few years, there are few avenues the team has to alleviate its cap outlook (New Orleans is projected to be $61.5 million over the cap in 2025, according to OverTheCap.com).

Defensive end Chase Young is one of the few moveable pieces, as he is on a one-year contract. Four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore might be one the most intriguing assets the team has, but it’s unclear whether he would be dealt as he deals with a hamstring issue that forced him to miss Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Best players available at NFL trade deadline

Even though many big names have already been moved, there are still several notable figures who could be available, including:

1. Azeez Ojulari, OLB, New York Giants
2. Za’Darius Smith, DE, Cleveland Browns
3. Jonathan Jones, CB, New England Patriots
4. Arden Key, OLB, Tennessee Titans
5. Chase Young, DE, New Orleans Saints

Here’s our full look at the best players still on the market.

NFL trade deadline tracker: All the completed deals

Here’s a look at every deal that’s been completed since the start of the season.

Jaguars trade OT Cam Robinson to Vikings (Oct. 30)

Vikings receive: OT Cam Robinson, 2026 conditional seventh-round draft pick

Jaguars receive: 2026 conditional fifth-round draft pick

Panthers trade WR Diontae Johnson to Ravens (Oct. 29)

Ravens receive: WR Diontae Johnson, 2025 sixth-round draft pick

Panthers receive: 2025 fifth-round draft pick

Patriots trade LB Joshua Uche to Chiefs (Oct. 28)

Chiefs receive: LB Joshua Uche

Patriots receive: 2026 sixth-round draft pick

Titans trade WR DeAndre Hopkins to Chiefs (Oct. 24)

Chiefs receive: WR DeAndre Hopkins

Titans receive: 2025 conditional fifth-round draft pick

Grades: How did Chiefs, Titans fare in deal?

Titans trade LB Ernest Jones IV to Seahawks (Oct. 23)

Seahawks receive: LB Ernest Jones IV

Titans receive: LB Jerome Baker, 2025 fourth-round draft pick

Texans trade RB Cam Akers to Vikings (Oct. 15)

Vikings receive: RB Cam Akers, 2026 conditional seventh-round draft pick

Texans receive: 2026 conditional sixth-round draft pick

Browns trade WR Amari Cooper to Bills (Oct. 15)

Bills receive: WR Amari Cooper, 2025 sixth-round draft pick

Browns receive: 2025 third-round draft pick, 2026 seventh-round draft pick

Raiders trade WR Davante Adams to Jets (Oct. 15)

Jets receive: WR Davante Adams

Raiders receive: 2025 conditional third-round draft pick

Jaguars trade DT Roy Robertson-Harris to Seahawks

Seahawks receive: DT Roy Robertson-Harris

Jaguars receive: 2026 sixth-round draft pick

When is the NFL trade deadline?

The cutoff comes at the midseason point, as NFL owners voted in March to move it back one week from its traditional spot on the league calendar. After Tuesday, teams will not be able to make official trades until the start of the new league year in March.

The Kansas City Chiefs traded a conditional draft pick to the Tennessee Titans two weeks ago for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

After a slow start in Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Hopkins is having a much bigger impact in the Chiefs’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ‘Monday Night Football.’ He made two crucial catches for Kansas City in the first half, including his first touchdown in a Chiefs uniform for a go-ahead score.

In case you missed it, DeHopkins’ celebration after catching his first touchdown referenced the Disney movie ‘Remember the Titans,’ potentially a subtle nod to his former team.

Hopkins had 75 catches for 1,057 yards and seven touchdowns for the Titans last season. After starting slow due to an ACL injury, Hopkins had 15 catches for 173 yards and a touchdown for the Titans in six games before being traded.

His six catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in the first half of ‘Monday Night Football’ almost equals his best performance in a game this season: six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 3.

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Netflix’s documentary leading up to the Nov. 15 fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul has unearthed some unappetizing information.

Tyson, who suffered an ulcer flareup that led to the fight being postponed for three months, offered details about the medical emergency.

It began during a flight from Miami to Los Angeles on May 26, according to Tyson, the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion.

“I went to the bathroom and I threw up blood,’ Tyson says on “Countdown: Paul vs. Tyson.’ ‘The next thing I know I’m on the floor. I was defecating tar.’’

The source of the trauma was a 2 1/2-inch bleeding ulcer, according to Tyson.

He was not taken by complete surprise, based on the three-part documentary. Episodes 1 and 2 premiere Thursday.

Reflecting on a week and a half before the incident, Tyson said, “I was doing great and then all of a sudden I started feeling tired and I was explaining to my trainer, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.’

Tyson, who was taken to a hospital after landing at Los Angeles International Airport, said he lost 26 pounds after the ulcer.

‘Can you imagine that?’ he said.

The weight loss wasn’t the only thing he said he found unsettling.

“I asked the doctor, ‘Am I going to die?’ ‘ Tyson recalls. ‘And she didn’t say no. She said we have options, though. That’s when I got nervous.’

By the end of July, Tyson was training at full throttle, his agent Andrew Ruf told USA TODAY Sports. Tyson repeatedly has said he’s in good health.

The NBA’s all-time winningest coach did not coach the Spurs in their 113-103 victory against the Timberwolves, and assistant coach Mitch Johnson took over.

Popovich, 75, did not travel with the team to Los Angeles for Monday’s game against the Clippers, the team said, and Johnson is expected to coach against the Clippers and against Houston Wednesday.

ESPN reported that Popovich had a ‘health issue’ before Saturday’s game against the Timberwolves. Johnson said he was told about 2½ hours before the game that Popovich would not be available.

‘Shoutout to Mitch, he did a great job tonight,’ Spurs guard Chris Paul told reporters after Spurs-Timberwolves game.

All things Spurs: Latest San Antonio Spurs news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

Johnson, 37, played basketball at Stanford and is in his ninth season with the Spurs. He is considered one of the league’s top young assistant coaches.

Popovich is No. 1 on the all-time list of winningest coaches with 1,391 victories in 28-plus seasons with the Spurs. Popovich, a three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five-time NBA championship coach, passed Don Nelson for the top spot in 2022.

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The 2024 NFL season is heading into the stretch run for fantasy managers.

Week 9 (MNF pending) was a banner week for sophomore players. De’Von Achane, Chase Brown, Bijan Robinson, Emari Demercado, and Jahmyr Gibbs were all top-20 running backs. Meanwhile, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers, Cedric Tillman, Tank Dell, Quentin Johnston, Jayden Reed, and Jordan Addison all finished as top-20 receivers.

Here’s a look at my Week 10 fantasy football rankings. Toggle between standard, half PPR (point per reception), and full PPR to see where players rank in your league’s format.

Our team at USA TODAY Sports has you covered with plenty of content to help with your Week 10 lineup and roster decisions. Wondering who the best waiver-wire claims are? We have that covered so you can make your pickups. Need to know what players you can drop? We have that as well. We also have a list of the 10 best buy low/sell high candidates.

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Please note: These rankings will change significantly as the week goes on. Check back on Sunday morning for final updates.

Week 10 fantasy football quarterback rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Brock Purdy – Armed with four finishes of QB8 or higher in his last six starts, Purdy will face a Buccaneers defense that’s ceding the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.
UP: Aaron Rodgers – The veteran has ranked as the QB15 or higher in three of his last four games and will go up against a beatable Cardinals defense.
UP: Daniel Jones – With MNF pending, Jones is the QB4 on the week. He’s a palatable streaming option versus a non-existent Panthers defense.
DOWN: Kyler Murray – Kyler has ranked as the QB15 or worse in five of his nine games this season. It’ll be tough sledding against a Jets squad that has surrendered the fourth-fewest fantasy points to signal-callers this season.
DOWN: Caleb Williams – After a two-week hot stretch, the rookie has posted QB28 and QB26 finishes over the last two weeks, respectively. The run-funnel Patriots have given up the 10th-fewest fantasy points to the position in 2024.
DOWN: Drake Maye – Maye gets a brutal draw in Week 10, as the Bears have allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.

Week 10 fantasy football running back rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: De’Von Achane – In four games with Tua Tagovailoa behind center this season, Achane has posted finishes of RB6, RB3, RB3, and RB2. He should be ranked inside the top-five going forward.
UP: Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary – The Carolina Panthers are ceding nearly four more half-PPR points per game to running backs than any other team in the league. Tracy has garnered at least 17 touches in four of his last five games, and that kind of volume puts him in the RB1 discussion this week. Singletary is flex-worthy in deeper leagues.
UP: Najee Harris – After finishing as the RB30 or worse in four of his first five games, Harris has dropped RB10, RB15, and RB16 performances in his last three games. He’ll go up against a Washington defense that’s been funneling to the run lately.
UP: D’Andre Swift – Only four teams have ceded more fantasy points to opposing backfields than the Patriots. Meanwhile, Swift has received at least 18 touches in five straight contests.
DOWN: Kareem Hunt – While it’s not the worst matchup, the Broncos have proven tough to run on at times this year. They’ve held backs to 3.9 yards per carry since Week 2, fifth-best in the league. Hunt is still a top-20 play, but his upside isn’t quite as high in this one.
DOWN: Tony Pollard – This season, only the Chiefs have surrendered fewer fantasy points to running backs than the Chargers. Pollard has struggled in tough matchups, with four finishes of RB21 or lower.
DOWN: Javonte Williams – Williams gets the nightmare matchup this week. With MNF pending, no back has eclipsed 12.2 half-PPR points against Kansas City this season. Meanwhile, Javonte has ranked as the RB27 or lower in all but two contests in 2024.
DOWN: Tank Bigsby – The return of Travis Etienne led to Bigsby seeing just eight carries against the Eagles. Another tough matchup awaits in Week 10, as the Vikings have allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to backs this season.

Week 10 fantasy football wide receiver rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Garrett Wilson – Don’t look now but Wilson is quietly fantasy’s WR1 since Week 5. The 24-year-old has surpassed 90 yards in four of his last five games and has scored three times during that span. He should feast on a beatable Cardinals secondary.
UP: Jordan Addison – Addison has finished as a top-30 wideout in three of his last five games, and a matchup with the Jaguars awaits in Week 10.
UP: Tank Dell – The 2023 version of Tank Dell finally showed up in Week 9, as he racked up 126 yards against the Jets. With Stefon Diggs out of the lineup, Dell should be heavily involved even when Nico Collins returns.
UP: Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin – CeeDee Lamb ranks second in the league with 84 targets, and he’s “week to week” with a shoulder injury. If he can’t go, Tolbert and Turpin will be volume-based dart throws in Week 10.
UP: Xavier Legette – The rookie has garnered 13 targets over the last two weeks and has ranked as a top-32 fantasy receiver in four of his last six games. He’s an intriguing streaming option with Diontae Johnson shipped off to Baltimore.
DOWN: DJ Moore and Keenan Allen – This easily could’ve been the entire Bears’ passing game, but Moore and Allen have been downright unplayable lately. Moore has finished as the WR52 or lower in three straight and Allen has ranked higher than WR47 just once all season.
DOWN: Jaylen Waddle – A late touchdown shouldn’t mask the fact that Waddle managed just two targets for negative four yards in Week 9. He hasn’t placed higher than WR39 since Week 1.
DOWN: Michael Pittman Jr. – It doesn’t seem to matter who his quarterback is, Pittman is a tough start in fantasy this season. The 27-year-old has finished as the WR57 or worse in five of his nine outings.
DOWN: Wan’Dale Robinson – Robinson has a grand total of nine targets and 40 scoreless yards over his last two games. Even in a good matchup, he’s a tough start.

Week 10 fantasy football tight end rankings: Risers and fallers

UP: Taysom Hill – The Saints were already extremely banged-up on offense and then they lost Chris Olave to a concussion in Week 9. Hill should be plenty involved against the Falcons this week.
UP: Mike Gesicki – In four games without Tee Higgins in the lineup, Gesicki is averaging 5.5 receptions for 71 yards. In five games with Higgins, those averages drop to 1.6 receptions for 14.2 yards. If Higgins can’t go on TNF, Gesicki is a top streaming option.
DOWN: Cole Kmet – Kmet has garnered five targets or fewer in every game that Keenan Allen has played in this season. He has a grand total of one target over his last two games.
DOWN: Dalton Schultz – Through nine weeks, Schultz hasn’t ranked higher than TE20. With Nico Collins’ return imminent, Schultz no longer needs to be rostered in most leagues.

Week 10 fantasy football rankings

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown suffered a knee injury during the first half of his team’s 28-23 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He exited Sunday’s game before the Eagles’ first possession of the second half.

Brown looked banged up after a tackle toward the end of the first half. After an initial, quick visit with Philadelphia’s medical staff, the wideout returned to the huddle for the following play after the two-minute warning.

He played the remaining few minutes of the half and went to the locker room with the rest of the team. However, Brown returned to the locker room with an apparent injury before the Eagles’ offense took the field for the first time in the third quarter. In the minutes afterward, the team declared the star receiver as questionable to return.

A.J. Brown injury update

Brown was ruled out for the Eagles’ game against the Jaguars with a knee injury, the team announced.

All things Eagles: Latest Philadelphia Eagles news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

The receiver initially looked banged up late in the second quarter. Brown appeared to have avoided further injury when he quickly returned to the huddle after a brief visit with the Eagles’ medical staff.

Brown was initially deemed questionable to return, but the team ruled out the star wide receiver early in the fourth quarter.

On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Brown underwent an MRI on his injured knee that revealed no structural damage.

‘More of a contusion than anything,’ Rapoport shared on social media site X.

Brown might be available to play Sunday when the Eagles take on the Dallas Cowboys in a big divisional matchup.

Eagles WR depth chart

With Brown injured, here’s how the rest of the Eagles’ receivers room looks:

DeVonta Smith
Jahan Dotson
Ainias Smith
Johnny Wilson

(This story was updated to add new information.)