NFC Notes: Dennis Allen, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Falcons

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler report they have also heard the Falcons connected to Patriots HC Bill Belichick as a potential landing spot if/when he and New England split. They note people close to Belichick believe it would be a good fit for him, too. 
• Other candidates include Michigan HC Jim Harbaugh and former Titans HC Mike Vrabel, though Fowler notes he hasn’t heard of the Falcons specifically getting involved with Harbaugh yet. 
• The two note Lions DC Aaron Glenn worked with Falcons GM Terry Fontenot in New Orleans, so that’s a sleeper candidate to keep in mind. 
• Bobby Skinner reports the Giants requested an interview with Falcons OL coach Dwayne Ledford but Atlanta blocked the request. 

Panthers

• ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler think the plan for Panthers owner Dave Tepper is to prioritize the head coaching hire and pair them with a general manager and DC Ejiro Evero. 
• They add the dream for Carolina is likely still landing Lions OC Ben Johnson, though he might have better options, or a candidate from the offensive side of the ball. They also appear to be leaning toward hiring a new GM with an analytics or cap background. 
• NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo notes while there is more interest in the Panthers’ open GM and head coaching jobs than he expected, there are still challenges with the lack of draft capital and questions about Tepper. 
• Garafolo says Panthers QB Bryce Young still has a fair share of believers in the NFL community, as he was the top prospect for a lot of evaluators last year, and won’t necessarily be a negative for people taking the job. 
• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes Carolina has been sensitive to the perception that it’s an undesirable job and has done backchannel work to make sure any interview slips it sends out will be accepted. 
• Breer also mentions there’s a thought in league circles that the Panthers could be looking to pair assistant GM Dan Morgan, who has a scouting background, with another executive who has more of a cap or analytics background. 

Saints

Former Raiders executive Amy Trask recalled distrust and complaints regarding Saints HC Dennis Allen during his time as the head coach of the Raiders.

“It appeared to me, and I’m not putting words in a player’s mouth, but players would do the minimum for him,” Trask said, via Saints Wire. “Nobody’s running through a wall for him.”

• ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reports the Saints’ restructure of QB Jameis Winston‘s contract allows them to create a little bit of extra cap savings by designating him a June 1 release, unless they sign him to an extension first. 
• The team added a void year in 2028 and added huge roster bonuses of more than $50 million in the remaining years of the deal to serve as a poison pill and ensure Winston is cut. Winston got a $100,000 signing bonus in exchange for reworking his deal.