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Firing of Dennis Allen in 2024 was supposed to be a reset for the New Orleans Saints. Instead, according to former All-Pro safety Tyrann Mathieu, it might have created a rift within the Saints' organization between the Saints' brass and star running back Alvin Kamara.
Speaking openly on his In The Bayou YouTube show, Mathieu shared his perspective on the "family" dynamic within the Saints organization. For years, the organization was known for its tight-knit culture at the top, but Mathieu suggested that the same closeness could have made the coaching change personal for people in the organization. Take that with a dip in Kamara's performance as he reaches the later years of his career and you're dealing with tension.
"Man I'm a say something and I hope it's not taken out of context," Mathieu began. "I don't think the Saints (front office) is dealing with this in good faith. I don't think so. I don't think, like, this is not what you do to, I want to be hesitant to say that (it's a bad relationship with Kamara) but this is not the way you treat your all-time touchdown leader. I know his production hasn't been what we thought it was going to be, right, but he is still this franchise's leader in (expletive) yards and touchdowns and you know, so without him having 1,000 yards, you know, rushing.
"I think the Saints would rather not have to make a hard decision and he just walk in one day and say, 'Hey, look, I'm gonna retire.' You know what I'm saying? Because I don't think they really got the, you know, and I know Mickey (Loomis), I hope you don't take this wrong, but I just don't think they got the balls to just outright cut him. And it's kind of the same thing with Cam Jordan. Like I would much rather you come out and say 'Cam, go find somewhere else to play,'" Mathieu said. He likened the experience to his departure with the Kansas City Chiefs, where Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told him the team couldn't afford to pay Mathieu and star wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
That family loyalty now seems to have created a rift. Mathieu noted that many of the team's decision-makers were very loyal to Allen, who was part of the team's 2009 Super Bowl run. He suggested that the front office could view Kamara as a primary catalyst for the change. Kamara is believed to have been one of several players who personally appealed to team owner Gayle Benson to move on from their embattled former coach.
"One of my good sources told me a few people in that building, they're mad at Kamara because of the way he sort of spearheaded getting Dennis Allen fired," Mathieu said. "And so you got somebody fired, but you didn't produce neither, right? The Saints organization — for people that haven’t been a part of it — it’s really like a family. So you’re going to argue, you’re going to fight, you're going to do all that (expletive) but at the end of the day, you’re family, right? And I think a few of those people, a few of those decision makers who was in love with Dennis Allen because he did have great defenses. He did, he was one of the guys to bring home a Super Bowl. And it's just history there and I think some people picked a side. And I think he got caught in it and he's still in it, you know."
Kamara, who rushed for 471 yards on 131 carries in 2025, is now at a crossroads with the organization. New Orleans signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year deal worth $48 million in free agency, which could put the writing on the wall for Kamara's future with the franchise. He's been the subject of trade talks and even rumors of a potential release, though no decision has been made. Kamara also recently expressed excitement about a tandem with Etienne.
"I wish him the best, man. I wish him well," Mathieu said. "You would hope that he could go somewhere and just sort of finish it out, you know — the last two, three years somewhere..."
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Tyrann Mathieu: Saints hold Dennis Allen's firing against Alvin Kamara
Continue reading...
Speaking openly on his In The Bayou YouTube show, Mathieu shared his perspective on the "family" dynamic within the Saints organization. For years, the organization was known for its tight-knit culture at the top, but Mathieu suggested that the same closeness could have made the coaching change personal for people in the organization. Take that with a dip in Kamara's performance as he reaches the later years of his career and you're dealing with tension.
"Man I'm a say something and I hope it's not taken out of context," Mathieu began. "I don't think the Saints (front office) is dealing with this in good faith. I don't think so. I don't think, like, this is not what you do to, I want to be hesitant to say that (it's a bad relationship with Kamara) but this is not the way you treat your all-time touchdown leader. I know his production hasn't been what we thought it was going to be, right, but he is still this franchise's leader in (expletive) yards and touchdowns and you know, so without him having 1,000 yards, you know, rushing.
"I think the Saints would rather not have to make a hard decision and he just walk in one day and say, 'Hey, look, I'm gonna retire.' You know what I'm saying? Because I don't think they really got the, you know, and I know Mickey (Loomis), I hope you don't take this wrong, but I just don't think they got the balls to just outright cut him. And it's kind of the same thing with Cam Jordan. Like I would much rather you come out and say 'Cam, go find somewhere else to play,'" Mathieu said. He likened the experience to his departure with the Kansas City Chiefs, where Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told him the team couldn't afford to pay Mathieu and star wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
That family loyalty now seems to have created a rift. Mathieu noted that many of the team's decision-makers were very loyal to Allen, who was part of the team's 2009 Super Bowl run. He suggested that the front office could view Kamara as a primary catalyst for the change. Kamara is believed to have been one of several players who personally appealed to team owner Gayle Benson to move on from their embattled former coach.
"One of my good sources told me a few people in that building, they're mad at Kamara because of the way he sort of spearheaded getting Dennis Allen fired," Mathieu said. "And so you got somebody fired, but you didn't produce neither, right? The Saints organization — for people that haven’t been a part of it — it’s really like a family. So you’re going to argue, you’re going to fight, you're going to do all that (expletive) but at the end of the day, you’re family, right? And I think a few of those people, a few of those decision makers who was in love with Dennis Allen because he did have great defenses. He did, he was one of the guys to bring home a Super Bowl. And it's just history there and I think some people picked a side. And I think he got caught in it and he's still in it, you know."
Kamara, who rushed for 471 yards on 131 carries in 2025, is now at a crossroads with the organization. New Orleans signed running back Travis Etienne Jr. to a four-year deal worth $48 million in free agency, which could put the writing on the wall for Kamara's future with the franchise. He's been the subject of trade talks and even rumors of a potential release, though no decision has been made. Kamara also recently expressed excitement about a tandem with Etienne.
"I wish him the best, man. I wish him well," Mathieu said. "You would hope that he could go somewhere and just sort of finish it out, you know — the last two, three years somewhere..."
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Tyrann Mathieu: Saints hold Dennis Allen's firing against Alvin Kamara
Continue reading...
