New Orleans Saints

The **New Orleans Saints** are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the team plays its home games at Caesars Superdome after utilizing Tulane Stadium during its first eight seasons. Founded by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans on November 1, 1966, the Saints joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967. They are named after the jazz music heritage of New Orleans and the spiritual hymn "When the Saints Go Marching In".

The Saints were among the NFL's least successful franchises in their first several decades, where they went 20 consecutive seasons without a winning record or qualifying for the playoffs. They earned their first winning record and postseason berth in 1987, while their first playoff win would not occur until 2000, their 34th season. The team's fortunes improved amid the 21st century, which saw them become more consistent postseason contenders. Their greatest success to date came in the 2009 season, when they won Super Bowl XLIV, the team's first Super Bowl appearance. The Saints are one of two NFL franchises to win their sole Super Bowl appearance, along with the New York Jets, and the most recent to do so.

### Early history

Local sports entrepreneur Dave Dixon and a local civic group had been seeking an NFL franchise for over five years and had hosted record crowds for NFL exhibition games. To seal the merger, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle arrived in New Orleans within a week, and announced on November 1, 1966, that the NFL officially had awarded the city of New Orleans an NFL franchise. The team was named for "When the Saints Go Marching In", the classic jazz standard associated with New Orleans. When the deal was reached a week earlier, Dixon strongly suggested to Rozelle that the announcement be delayed until November 1, to coincide with All Saints' Day. Dixon even cleared the name with New Orleans' Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, "thought it would be a good idea," according to Dixon. "He had an idea the team was going to need all the help it could get."

Boggs' Congressional committee in turn quickly approved the NFL merger. John W. Mecom Jr., a young oilman from Houston, became the team's first majority stockholder. The team's colors, black and gold, symbolized both Mecom's and New Orleans' strong ties to the oil industry. Trumpeter Al Hirt was part owner of the team, and his rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" was made the official fight song.[*citation needed*]
Archie Manning, pictured attempting a pass in 1980, was one of the first players to be inducted into the Saints' Ring of Honor.
The inaugural game in 1967 on September 17 started with a 94-yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, but the Saints lost that game 27–13 to the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium, with over 80,000 in attendance. It was one of the few highlights of a 3–11 season, which set an NFL record for most wins by an expansion team.

For most of their first 20 years, the Saints were the definition of NFL futility, finishing third or fourth in their division until 1979. The 1979 and 1983 teams were the only ones to even finish at .500 until 1987.

One of the franchise's early bright moments came on November 8, 1970, when Tom Dempsey kicked an NFL record-breaking 63-yard field goal at Tulane Stadium to defeat the Detroit Lions 19–17 in the final seconds of the game; the previous record was seven yards less, set in 1953. Dempsey's record was not broken until 2013 by Matt Prater of the Denver Broncos, who kicked one yard farther (at elevation in Colorado).

In 1980, the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting local sportscaster Bernard "Buddy D" Diliberto to advise Saints supporters to wear paper bags over their heads at the team's home games; many bags rendered the club's name as the "'Aints" rather than the "Saints."

## Logos and uniforms

Black, along with old gold and white, has always been one of the team colors, but it was not the first choice of original majority owner John W. Mecom Jr. His preference was for Mecom blue, a medium shade which was used by all of his other investments. The NFL office, however, informed him that his proposed combination too closely resembled that worn by the San Diego Chargers. Although the Chargers were members of the AFL, the older league did not want to offend its soon-to-be partner so soon after the merger. Mecom settled on black as the primary color as a nod to his financial involvement in the petroleum industry. "Black gold" is a term synonymous with oil. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers—who played a few home games in New Orleans during their early years to avoid conflict with the Pittsburgh Panthers football team—have long used black and gold as their colors, their shade of gold more closely resembles yellow, making the Saints black and gold compatible with the rest of the NFL.

Except for minor modifications, the Saints' logo and uniforms have basically remained the same since the club debuted in 1967. The team's logo is a fleur-de-lis (a symbol of the City of New Orleans and of France's Royal Family, which included the House of Bourbon), while its uniform design consists of gold helmets, gold pants, and either black or white jerseys. Minor changes to the uniform stripes and trim have been made throughout the years. The team wore black helmets during the 1969 preseason, but NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle barred the Saints from using the helmets during the regular season, since Mecom did not notify the league office of the change. Black helmets have never been introduced since, not even as an alternate helmet prior to 2013, when the NFL began to require teams to use only one helmet shell per season.

The Saints predominantly wore white at home when the club played at Tulane Stadium from 1967 through 1974 (except in 1969 and 1970), forcing opponents to suffer in their darker jerseys in the subtropical climate of New Orleans. When the surface at Tulane Stadium switched from natural grass to PolyTurf in 1971, field temperatures became hotter still. In Archie Manning's first game, in the 1971 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, temperatures on the field reached as high as 130 °F (54 °C). The heavily favored Rams wilted in the stifling heat, and the Saints claimed their first-ever victory over their NFC West rivals, 24–20, on Manning's one-yard quarterback sneak on the last play of the game.

The Saints switched to white pants in 1975, coinciding with the team's move from Tulane Stadium to the Superdome, and have worn white at home numerous times since then. One year later, they started to wear black pants with their white jerseys, a move influenced by coach Hank Stram, who introduced red pants to the Kansas City Chiefs' uniforms in 1968. In an October 3, 1976 home game against the Houston Oilers, Hank Stram used the Saints' road uniforms, the white jerseys and black pants. The Saints lost that game 31–26. During the 1981–82 seasons (Bum Phillips' first two seasons as coach), the team wore white jerseys with black pants at home, but reverted to the black jerseys and white pants for 1983. They reverted to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys in 1986 under new coach Jim E. Mora. From 1986 through 1995, the sleeves of the jerseys and sides of the pants featured a logo with a fleur-de-lis inside an outline of the state of Louisiana (with the location of New Orleans marked with a star in the state outline). The logo replaced the striping pattern that had been on the uniforms since the team's inception; save for color variations, the striping pattern was similar to that used by the Washington Redskins (until 1979), Green Bay Packers (until 1997), and Cleveland Browns (until 2014), which is likely why the change was made. That logo was removed in 1996 and replaced with a fleur-de-lis on both the sleeves and sides of the pants.

From 1996 through 1998, the Saints returned to gold numbers on both the white and black jerseys, but complaints about the numbers on the white jerseys being too difficult to read forced the numbers on the white jerseys to be changed to black in 1999. The Saints wore black pants with a wide gold stripe with their white jerseys in 1999, but following a 3–13 season and the dismissal of coach Mike Ditka, the black pants were mothballed by new coach Jim Haslett.

### 2000s

In 2000, the Saints won their first playoff game as they hosted the St. Louis Rams, and after having a better road record than home record, they wore their white jerseys, and won 31–28 over the defending champion Rams. The defining play of the game came with the Saints clinging to a three-point lead with minutes to play. The Saints punted to the Rams' Az-Zahir Hakim (who would play one season for the Saints in 2005), who fumbled the punt deep in Rams' territory. Brian Milne recovered for the Saints, who then ran out the clock to preserve the victory.

In 2001, they wore their white jerseys in the first six home games. During that same year, they primarily wore black pants with both their white and black jerseys. They became the first NFL team to wear all-black uniforms in a Week 5 road game against the Carolina Panthers, and again in weeks 16 and 17 in home games against the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers; the Saints were outscored 78–10 in the final two contests to end a 7–9 campaign.

In 2002, the Saints wore black pants with their white jerseys (except for the final road game, a 20–13 loss in Cincinnati when they went back to the gold pants), and gold pants with their black jerseys, a gold alternate jersey, and a 1967-style throwback uniform, complete with an accurate 1967-era helmet which featured a larger fleur-de-lis, a darker shade of gold and grey facemasks. But one season later, they stopped using the alternates and again reverted to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys.

The team introduced a gold alternate jersey (worn with the black pants) during a December 15, 2002 game versus the Minnesota Vikings, a 32–31 loss, but have never worn them since then. Because of the metallic gold's bright color, the gold jerseys were considered the "light" jersey in the game, so the Vikings wore their purple home jerseys as the "dark" colored team. One team must wear "dark" and one team must wear "light", this was done because of black & white t.v. broadcasts so viewers could tell the teams apart. The only exception being if both teams are wearing throwback uniforms, such as Thanksgiving Classic games. From 2003 through 2007, the New England Patriots had a "light" jersey (their alternate, a bright metallic silver) that is not white in which the other team would wear their colored, or "dark" jerseys against them since the third jersey rule was implemented in the NFL in 2002.

The Saints also introduced a 1967-style throwback uniform in a 23–20 win on December 1, 2002, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This uniform was not worn again until a 40–33 win against the Houston Texans on September 25, 2011, and also on November 6, 2011, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 27–16 Saints win. However, the 2011 throwbacks use the current helmet, meaning the shades of gold on the helmet and jersey do not match.

In 2006, to honor their return to Louisiana, the Saints wore a patch on their uniforms with an outline of the State of Louisiana with a fleur-de-lis superimposed, similar to the logo from the 1980s.

The Saints originally planned to wear white jerseys at home for the 2006 season, but during the season, the players voted to wear the black jerseys at home after the second game. Since the team had informed the NFL office that they planned to wear white jerseys at home, each of the Saints' remaining home opponents would have to agree to New Orleans' request. The Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals did not agree to the switch, forcing the Saints to wear white jerseys for those games.

Starting in week 13 of the 2006 season, the Saints wore black pants with the black jerseys against the San Francisco 49ers (restoring them after a four-season absence), and in a Week 16 game in The Meadowlands against the New York Giants (a 30–7 Saints win), the Saints wore the black pants with their road white jerseys. The Saints later stuck with the black pants in their 2006 playoff run.

Since 2008, the Saints have worn white jerseys at home for preseason games and early regular-season home games.

In 2009, the Saints wore the black pants only once, beating St. Louis 28–23. They wore the white jerseys/gold pants combination during the Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts. In 2012 and 2014, the Saints wore black pants 12 times and wore gold pants 4 times. In 2013, gold pants were used only 7 times (including playoffs). After 2015, a season in which the gold pants were donned 10 times, the Saints only wore them sporadically in the regular season, though they were still used regularly in the preseason.

Prior to the 2016 season, the NFL introduced the Color Rush program, and the Saints' version is a mixture of different uniform designs from earlier eras. White jersey tops featured old gold numbers with black trim along with gold and black sleeve stripes (a nod to the team's late 1960s uniforms). Complementing the uniforms were white pants (inspired from the 1975–85 look) and all-white socks. The Saints first wore the uniform during Week 11 of that season against the Carolina Panthers on the road, and was worn on the road two more times thereafter. Its first home appearance came in Week 11 of the 2018 season against the Philadelphia Eagles; the Saints were forced to wear the white uniforms at home after head coach Sean Payton lost a bet with Eagles coach Doug Pederson during a charity golf event in the offseason.

In 2019, a variation of the all-white Color Rush look was unveiled during the Week 6 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Saints wore their current white uniforms, but paired them with white pants minus any striping (an inverse of their black pants). During the regular season, New Orleans went undefeated (8–0) while wearing either all-white uniform. As a result, they opted to wear the new all-white look at home during the Wild Card Round against the Minnesota Vikings. However, the Saints' luck finally ran out, losing in overtime 26–20.

## Stadium

The Superdome has been the home of the Saints since 1975.
Caesars Superdome is the Saints' home stadium. It has a listed seating capacity of 76,468 (expanded) or 73,208 (not expanded). The Saints own a perfect record there against the Houston Texans (2–0) and Jacksonville Jaguars (3–0), but a winless one against the Baltimore Ravens (0–2).

## Rivals

### Divisional rivals

#### Atlanta Falcons

Main article: Falcons–Saints rivalry

The Saints' oldest rival are the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons lead the rivalry series 53–51. The two clubs joined the NFL within a year of each other as expansion teams and have played each other twice a season since the Saints joined the league in 1967.

#### Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Main article: Buccaneers–Saints rivalry

The Saints have a developing rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have been part of the NFC South with the Saints since 2002, and the Saints lead the overall series, 38–21.

The teams actually played each other quite often as non-division rivals. Between 1977 and 2001, there were only five years in which the teams did not play. This includes 12 years in a row from 1981 to 1992 – all as a result of the scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002 (this remains a record for most consecutive years in which two teams not from the same division met each other).

The Saints won 13 of 20 games as non-division opponents. Since becoming division rivals, the Saints have the edge in the series, winning 16 games to the Bucs' 10.

One notable pre-division game is a 1977 matchup that resulted in Tampa Bay's first win in franchise history coming against New Orleans after previously starting out 0–26 overall.

On January 17, 2021, the two teams faced off in the playoffs for the first time in their rivalry history with Tampa Bay winning 30–20, despite New Orleans beating Tampa Bay twice in the regular season.

#### Carolina Panthers

The Saints and the Carolina Panthers have been division rivals since Carolina joined the league as an expansion franchise in 1995, first in the NFC West and then in the NFC South since 2002. An extremely close series, the Saints hold the head-to-head advantage 28–25, including a Wild Card victory in 2017.

Carolina defeated New Orleans on the road every year from 2002 to 2008, a streak of seven seasons. Notable games include Carolina's 19–7 home victory in 1996 that sparked Saints head coach Jim Mora's infamous "Diddley Poo" rant and resignation from the team, Carolina's 10–6 win in the 2002 season finale at the Superdome to knock the Saints out of the playoffs, and the emotional 2005 season opener at Carolina where the Saints won 23–20 in the face of Hurricane Katrina and an eventual 3–13 season.

In their last game in the 2014 NFL season, a fight between players broke out in the end zone and spilled out into the tunnel entrance after a Cam Newton touchdown, with Panther's tight end Brandon Williams getting ejected and both teams receiving offsetting penalties. The Panthers won the contest 41–10, with early turnovers by the Saints being a factor in the blowout.

On January 7, 2018, the two teams met in the NFL playoffs for the first time in the Wild Card round. It was the first ever playoff game between NFC South teams since the division's formation in 2002. The Saints beat the Panthers 31–26, thus eliminating Carolina.

### Non-Division Rivals

#### Minnesota Vikings

Main article: Saints-Vikings rivalry

The Saints have developed a strong rivalry with the Minnesota Vikings as they have met in many consequential regular-season and playoff games. The Vikings lead the overall series 23-13 with a 4-1 record in the playoffs.

## Statistics

### Season-by-season records

Main article: List of New Orleans Saints seasons

### Record vs. opponents

***Note:** W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties*

### Single-game records

* **Passing yards:** 510 Drew Brees (November 19, 2006, vs Cincinnati Bengals)
* **Passing yards per attempt:** 16.1 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009, vs New England Patriots)
* **Passing touchdowns:** 7 Drew Brees (November 1, 2015, vs New York Giants) **T – NFL record**
* **Passer rating:** 158.3 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009, vs New England Patriots) **T – NFL record**
* **Consecutive pass completions:** 23 Drew Brees (December 16/22, 2019, vs. Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans)
* **Rushing yards:** 206 George Rogers (September 4, 1983, vs St. Louis Cardinals)
* **Rushing touchdowns:** 6 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs Minnesota Vikings) **T – NFL record**
* **Receptions:** 16 Michael Thomas (September 9, 2018, vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
* **Receptions, postseason game:** 15 Darren Sproles (January 14, 2012, at San Francisco 49ers)
* **Receiving yards:** 211 Michael Thomas (November 4, 2018, vs Los Angeles Rams)
* **Receiving touchdowns:** 4 Joe Horn (December 14, 2003, vs New York Giants)
* **Punt return yards:** 176 Reggie Bush (October 6, 2008, vs Minnesota Vikings)
* **Kickoff return yards**: 304 Tyrone Hughes (October 23, 1994, vs Los Angeles Rams) **NFL record**
* **Kickoff return & punt return yards**: 347 Tyrone Hughes (October 23, 1994, vs Los Angeles Rams) **NFL record**
* **Passes intercepted:** 3 Sammy Knight (September 9, 2001, at Buffalo Bills)
* **Longest interception return:** 99 yards Darren Sharper (October 4, 2009, vs New York Jets)
* **Yards from scrimmage:** 237 Deuce McAllister (November 16, 2003, vs Atlanta Falcons)
* **All-purpose yards:** 356 Michael Lewis (October 13, 2002, vs Washington Redskins)
* **Longest field goal:** 63 yards Tom Dempsey (November 8, 1970 vs Detroit Lions)
* **Field goals:** 6 Tom Dempsey (November 16, 1969, at New York Giants)
* **Total touchdowns:** 6 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs Minnesota Vikings) **T – NFL record**
* **Points scored:** 36 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs Minnesota Vikings)
* **Points scored, team:** 62 (October 23, 2011, vs Indianapolis Colts)
* **Sacks:** 4.0 many times, most recently Cameron Jordan, (November 28, 2019, vs Atlanta Falcons)
* **Margin of victory:** 62–7 (October 23, 2011, vs Indianapolis Colts)
* **First downs:** 40 (November 10, 2013, vs Dallas Cowboys) **NFL record**

### Single-season records

* **Passing attempts**: 673 Drew Brees (2016)
* **Passing completions**: 471 Drew Brees (2016) – **NFL record**
* **Passing completion percentage**: 74.4 Drew Brees (2018) – **NFL record**
* **Passing yards**: 5,476 Drew Brees (2011)
* **Passing touchdowns**: 46 Drew Brees (2011)
* **Passing interceptions**: 22 Aaron Brooks (2001), Drew Brees (2010)
* **Passer rating**: 116.3 Drew Brees (2019)
* **Rushing attempts**: 378 George Rogers (1981)
* **Rushing yards**: 1,674 George Rogers (1981)
* **Rushing touchdowns**: 16 Alvin Kamara (2020)
* **Receptions**: 149 Michael Thomas (2019) – **NFL record**
* **Receiving yards**: 1,725 Michael Thomas (2019)
* **Receiving touchdowns**: 16 Jimmy Graham (2013)
* **Quarterback sacks**: 17 Pat Swilling (1991) and La'Roi Glover (2000)
* **Passes intercepted**: 10 Dave Whitsell (1967)
* **Pass interception return yards**: 376 Darren Sharper (2009) – **NFL record**
* **Pass interceptions returned for touchdowns**: 3 Darren Sharper (2009)
* **Field goals attempts**: 41 Tom Dempsey (1969)
* **Field goals made**: 32 Wil Lutz (2019)
* **Points**: 147 John Kasay (2011)
* **Total touchdowns**: 21 Alvin Kamara (2020)
* **Punt return yards**: 625 Michael Lewis (2002)
* **All-purpose yards**: 2,696 Darren Sproles (2011) – **NFL record**
* **Yards from scrimmage**: 2,157 Deuce McAllister (2003)
* **Points scored (team)**: 547 (2011)

### Career records

* **Passing attempts**: 8,742 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Passing completions**: 6,017 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Passing yards**: 68,010 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Passing touchdowns**: 491 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Passer rating**: 101.5 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Passing interceptions**: 190 Drew Brees (2006–2020)
* **Rushing attempts**: 1,429 Deuce McAllister (2001–2008)
* **Rushing yards**: 6,096 Deuce McAllister (2001–2008)
* **Rushing touchdowns**: 50 Mark Ingram (2011–2018)
* **Receptions**: 711 Marques Colston (2006–2015)
* **Receiving yards**: 9,759 Marques Colston (2006–2015)
* **Receiving touchdowns**: 72 Marques Colston (2006–2015)
* **Quarterback sacks**: 123 Rickey Jackson (1981–1993)
* **Passes intercepted**: 37 Dave Waymer (1980–1989)
* **Field goal attempts**: 389 Morten Andersen (1982–1994)
* **Field goals made**: 302 Morten Andersen (1982–1994)
* **Extra points made**: 412 Morten Andersen (1982–1994)
* **Points**: 1,318 Morten Andersen (1982–1994)
* **Total touchdowns**: 72 Marques Colston (2006–2015)
* **Pass interception return yards**: 621 Tom Myers (1972–1981)
* **Pass interceptions returned for touchdowns**: 4 Sammy Knight (1997–2002)
* **Punt return yards**: 1,482 Michael Lewis (2001–2006)
* **Punt return touchdowns**: 4 Reggie Bush (2006–2010)
* **Kickoff return yards**: 5,903 Michael Lewis (2001–2006)
* **Longest punt**: 81 Tom McNeill (1967–1969)
* **Games**: 228 Drew Brees (2006–2020)

## Notable players

See also: List of New Orleans Saints players

### Pro Bowl players

The following Saints players have been named to at least one Pro Bowl:

* **QB** Drew Brees, Archie Manning
* **FB** Tony Baker
* **RB** Deuce McAllister, Dalton Hilliard, Rueben Mayes, George Rogers, Chuck Muncie, Andy Livingston, Mark Ingram Jr., Alvin Kamara
* **LT** Jammal Brown, William Roaf, Jermon Bushrod, Terron Armstead
* **LG** Brad Edelman, Jake Kupp, Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs, Andrus Peat
* **C** LeCharles Bentley, Joel Hilgenberg, Jonathan Goodwin, Max Unger
* **RG** Jahri Evans, Larry Warford
* **RT** Jon Stinchcomb
* **TE** Hoby Brenner, Henry Childs, Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook
* **WR** Joe Horn, Eric Martin, Wes Chandler, Michael Thomas
* **DE** Will Smith, Joe Johnson, Wayne Martin, Renaldo Turnbull, Bruce Clark, Cameron Jordan
* **DT** La'Roi Glover
* **LB** Jonathan Vilma, Mark Fields, Keith Mitchell, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, Pat Swilling, Rickey Jackson, Renaldo Turnbull
* **CB** Tyrone Hughes, Bennie Thompson, Dave Waymer, Dave Whitsell, Marshon Lattimore
* **SS** Roman Harper, Sammy Knight, Tom Myers, J. T. Gray
* **FS** Darren Sharper
* **K** Morten Andersen, Tom Dempsey, Wil Lutz
* **P** Mitch Berger, Brian Hansen, Thomas Morstead
* **RS** Deonte Harris

Two Saints head coaches have participated in the Pro Bowl, Tom Fears in 1970 (1969 season) and Sean Payton in 2007 (2006 season) and 2018 (2017 season).

### Ring of Honor

On October 9, 2013, the Saints announced the creation of a Ring of Honor to commemorate former players, administrators and individuals with significant contributions to the franchise. Their names are displayed along the Caesars Superdome's Terrace Level fascia. The first three honorees were Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf and were officially inducted during halftime of the Saints' game against the Dallas Cowboys on November 10, 2013.

### 45th Anniversary Team

To commemorate the club's 45th anniversary, the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame selected its All-45th Anniversary Team. The Hall of Fame updates its all-time team every five years, and this latest squad of head coach and players features four standouts from the club's roster at the time of selection: QB Drew Brees, G Jahri Evans, and DE Will Smith as well as head coach Sean Payton. **Bold** indicates those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The players are chosen in a vote by the Hall of Fame media selection committee, which includes local and regional media members who cover the Saints now or did so in the past. The All-45th Anniversary Team is as follows, with an asterisk (\*) designating those players who have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame:

Offense

* WR – Eric Martin\* (1985–1993)
* WR – Joe Horn\* (2000–2006)
* C – John Hill\* (1975–1984)
* G – Jim Dombrowski\* (1986–1996)
* G – Jahri Evans\* (2006–2016)
* OT – **Willie Roaf**\* (1993–2001)
* OT – Stan Brock\* (1980–1992)
* TE – Hoby Brenner\* (1981–1993)
* QB – Drew Brees\* (2006–2020)
* RB – Dalton Hilliard\* (1986–1993)
* RB – Deuce McAllister (2001–2009)

Specialists

* K – **Morten Andersen**\* (1982–1994)
* P – Tommy Barnhardt (1987, 1989–1994, 1999)
* ST – Fred McAfee\* (1991–1993, 2000–2006)
* KR/PR – Michael Lewis\* (2001–2006)

Defense

* DE – Wayne Martin (1989–1999)
* DE – Jim Wilks (1981–1993)
* DE – Joe Johnson\* (1994–1998, 2000–2001)
* DE – Will Smith (2004–2012)
* LB – Sam Mills\* (1986–1994)
* LB – Vaughan Johnson\* (1986–1993)
* LB – **Rickey Jackson**\* (1981–1993)
* LB – Pat Swilling\* (1986–1992)
* CB – Dave Waymer\* (1980–1989)
* CB – Mike McKenzie (2004–2009)
* S – Tommy Myers (1972–1981)
* S – Sammy Knight (1997–2002)

Coach

* Sean Payton (2006–present)

\* Unanimous selection

## Current roster

**New Orleans Saints roster**
* 7 Taysom Hill

**Running backs**
* 14 Mark Ingram Jr.
* 34 Tony Jones Jr.
* 41 Alvin Kamara
* 46 Adam Prentice FB

**Wide receivers**
* 1 Marquez Callaway
* 13 Michael Thomas

**Tight ends**
* 89 Dylan Soehner
* 82 Adam Trautman
* 81 Nick Vannett
* 78 Erik McCoy C
* 75 Andrus Peat G
* 71 Ryan Ramczyk T
* 51 Cesar Ruiz G
* 76 Calvin Throckmorton T
* 67 Landon Young T

**Defensive linemen**
* 92 Marcus Davenport DE
* 94 Cameron Jordan DE
* 90 Tanoh Kpassagnon DE
* 93 David Onyemata DT
* 98 Payton Turner DE
* 56 Demario Davis MLB
* 50 Andrew Dowell MLB
* 55 Kaden Elliss OLB
* 20 Pete Werner OLB

**Defensive backs**
* 29 Paulson Adebo CB
* 22 C. J. Gardner-Johnson SS
* 48 J. T. Gray SS
* 27 Malcolm Jenkins SS
* 23 Marshon Lattimore CB
* 21 Bradley Roby CB

**Special teams**
* 4 Blake Gillikin P
* 3 Wil Lutz K
* 49 Zach Wood LS
* 6 Blake Bortles QB (Futures)
* 68 Cohl Cabral C (Futures)
* 59 Sharif Finch OLB (Futures)
* 63 Jerald Hawkins T (Futures)
* 52 Braxton Hoyett DT (Futures)
* 37 Dylan Mabin CB (Futures)
* 36 Jordan Miller CB (Futures)
* 97 Malcolm Roach DT (Futures)
* 35 KeiVarae Russell CB (Futures)
* 32 Bryce Thompson CB (Futures)
* 17 Kevin White WR (Futures)
* 18 Easop Winston WR (Futures)
* 86 Ethan Wolf TE (Futures)

**Unrestricted FAs**
* 5 Kwon Alexander OLB
* 72 Terron Armstead T
* 65 Caleb Benenoch T
* 77 James Carpenter G
* 25 Ken Crawley CB
* 38 Jeff Heath SS
* 57 Jalyn Holmes DE
* 79 Jordan Mills T
* 88 Ty Montgomery WR
* 70 Christian Ringo DT
* 15 Trevor Siemian QB
* 10 Tre'Quan Smith WR
* 12 Kenny Stills WR
* 24 Dwayne Washington RB
* 43 Marcus Williams FS
* 26 P. J. Williams FS
* 2 Jameis Winston QB

**Restricted FAs**
* 96 Carl Granderson DE
* 73 Ethan Greenidge T
* 45 Garrett Griffin TE
* 11 Deonte Harris WR
* 19 Brett Maher K
* 99 Shy Tuttle DT

**Exclusive-Rights FAs**
* 77 Jalen Dalton DT
* 95 Albert Huggins DT
* 84 Lil'Jordan Humphrey WR
* 83 Juwan Johnson TE