Saints Fire Head Coach, Could Steelers Benefit from Trade Deadline Fire Sale?
The New Orleans Saints are set up for a trade deadline fire sale after firing their head coach, and the Pittsburgh Steelers could be a fit.
The New Orleans Saints have fired head coach Dennis Allen, the team announced on Monday which could trigger a fire sale with just two days to go before the 2024 NFL trade deadline, and pique the interest of Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
Allen was fired on Monday after the Saints out-gained the Carolina Panthers by over 150 yards, ran for over 150 yards, won the turnover battle, and still lost — the first time an NFL team had ever done that in in 276 opportunities.
After a promising start, the Saints are now 2-7, in last place in the NFC South, and are four games behind the 6-3 Atlanta Falcons in the divisional race. It seems unlikely that a chance in coach will be enough to save the Saints’ season.
So if it’s a lost season, does that mean general manager Mickey Loomis will be active in shopping players at the trade deadline? It’s certainly possible, but the Saints don’t seem to have much of what the Steelers need at the wide receiver position.
Chris Olave, the Saints’ 2022 first-round pick, likely would not be on the trade block at any rate, and he’s recovering from a serious concussion suffered on Sunday, his second of the season. Olave has the 2025 season and a club option for 2026 remaining on his rookie contract, and it’s unlikely the Saints would want to move on from him at this point.
Veteran slot receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. — the son of the former Steelers wide out and Super Bowl XL gamp — was also injured on Sunday, leaving with a shoulder injury before eventually returning. Wilson has another season remains on his contract with the Saints, but none of his $2.9 million in salary and bonuses for 2025 is guaranteed.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the only other veteran receiver on the Saints, but the Steelers did not appear to have interest in him either as a free agent this summer, or after he was released by the Buffalo Bills in mid-October.
The Saints don’t have much else beyond their pair of veteran receivers that could plausibly interest the Steelers at the trad deadline. Pittsburgh really only has personnel needs on the offensive line and at wide receiver. The Saints’ line is populated by high-round draft picks and veteran center Connor McGovern, who would not seem to help the Steelers much with Zach Frazier expected to return from injury this week.
Khan got his NFL start working for Loomis and the Saints. A New Orleans native and Tulane alum, Khan started with the Saints in 1997. Loomis came in as director of football operations in 2000, and the two worked together for one season before Khan came to Pittsburgh in 2001.
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