Dennis Allen recently told Jay Glazer he felt worse for the young coaches under his leadership than himself after the New Orleans Saints fired him. Allen was confident his connections through his decade plus career would allow him to land on his feet.
It didn’t take long for Allen to land on his feet. He interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts earlier this offseason and was named the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator this week.
Allen credited landing in Chicago as “a product of the same connections.”
Ben Johnson came from the Detroit Lions alongside Aaron Glenn and Dan Campbell. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear Glenn and Campbell gave Allen a strong endorsement. They worked with each other for years in New Orleans.
Beyond just New Orleans, all he, Glenn and Campbell all been attended Texas A&M. As you look back to Allen’s comments to Glazer, you can assume these were the connections he was referencing.
Johnson felt so strongly about Allen as his potential defensive coordinator that he reached out to Allen before the regular season ended. Allen said, “At some point as we got later in the season, he reached out to me to see if I’d be interested.”
Allen’s comments to Glazer happened after Allen’s conversation with Johnson. With what we know now, it’s clear Allen was foreshadowing his next move. It was just too early to say too much.
