New Orleans Saints Headquarters and Practice Facility

The New Orleans Saints are a professional

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

team based in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(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 Tulane Stadium was an outdoor football stadium that stood in New Orleans from 1926 to 1980. It was officially the Third Tulane Stadium and replaced the "Second Tulane Stadium", which was located where the Telephone Exchange Building is now. T ...

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 "When the Saints Go Marching In", often referred to as simply "The Saints", is a traditional black spiritual. It originated as a Christian hymn and is often played by jazz bands. This song was famously recorded on May 13, 1938, by Louis Armstro ...

". 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 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

, their 34th season. The team's fortunes improved amid the 21st century, especially during the late 2000s and 2010s, which saw them become more consistent postseason contenders. Their greatest success to date came in the 2009 season, when they won Super Bowl XLIV over the favored

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...

, the team's first and only Super Bowl appearance so far. 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.

Franchise history

Early history

Local sports entrepreneur

Dave Dixon Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

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 NFL-AFL 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 New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

", the classic

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

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 All Saints' Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, the Feast of All Saints, the Feast of All Hallows, the Solemnity of All Saints, and Hallowmas, is a Christian solemnity celebrated in honour of all the saints of the church, whether they are k ...

. Dixon cleared the name with New Orleans' Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, who "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."

John Mecom Jr. era (1967-1984)

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 Alois Maxwell "Al" Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was an American trumpeter and bandleader. He is best remembered for his million-selling recordings of "Java" and the accompanying album '' Honey in the Horn'' (1963), and for the them ...

was part owner of the team, and his rendition of "When the Saints Go Marching In" was made the official fight song. 1986 Jeno's Pizza - 25 - Archie Manning (cropped)

1986 Jeno's Pizza - 25 - Archie Manning (cropped)

The inaugural game on September 17,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establ ...

, started with Saints receiver John Gilliam returning the opening kickoff 94-yards for a touchdown, in a losing effort, 27–13, to the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

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 finished third or fourth in their division until 1979. Until 1987, the 1979 and 1983 teams were the only ones to finish at .500. 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 The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...

19–17 in the final seconds of the game; the previous record was seven yards less, set in . Dempsey's record was not broken until by Matt Prater of the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, who kicked one yard farther. 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."

Benson era (1985-present)

Jim E. Mora years (1986–1996)

Tom Benson, a successful automobile dealership owner and banker, acquired the franchise in 1985, and hired Jim Finks as general manager and Jim Mora as head coach. That combination provided the Saints with their first-ever winning record and playoff appearance, going 12–3 in 1987, which had one fewer game than normal due to a players' strike. Another playoff berth would follow during the 1990 season, and the club's first division title came in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

. During Mora's tenure, the Saints made the playoffs four times, with teams marked by strong defenses led by the " Dome Patrol" linebacking corps, but they were never able to win a playoff game. Mora coached the Saints until the middle of the 1996 season, when he stepped down halfway through the 3–13 season. His 93 wins were three more than the Saints won in their entire history prior to his arrival, and would remain the most for any Saints coach until 2016.

Mike Ditka years (1997–1999)

After the end of the 1996 season, ironically as Diliberto had suggested before Mora's resignation, former

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

coach Mike Ditka was hired to replace Mora. Although this initially generated a lot of excitement among Saints fans, Ditka's tenure ended up being a failure. The Saints went 6–10 in their first two seasons under Ditka ( 1997 and

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

). During the

1999 NFL Draft The 1999 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17–18, 1999, at the Theater a ...

, Ditka traded all of his picks for that season, as well as the first-round and third-round picks for the following season, to the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

in order to draft

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...

Heisman Trophy running back Ricky Williams in the first round. Ditka and Williams had a mock wedding picture taken to commemorate the occasion. However, Ditka, most of his coaching staff, and general manager Bill Kuharich were fired at the end of the 1999 season due to the club's 3–13 record.

Jim Haslett years (2000–2005)

Jim Haslett held the post from 2000 to 2005. In his first year, he took the team to the 2000

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

and defeated the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams for the team's first-ever playoff win. The team lost the following week to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

. After winning the 2000 NFL Executive of the Year Award, General Manager Randy Mueller was fired between the 2001 and 2002 seasons without explanation by Benson. The Saints failed to make the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, although in the latter year they had the distinction of beating the eventual Super Bowl XXXVII champion

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

in both of their regular-season meetings, only the second team to do so in NFL history. In

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

, the Saints again missed the

after finishing 8–8. The 2004 season started poorly for the

Saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Orth ...

, as they went 2–4 through their first six games and 4–8 through their first twelve games. At that point Haslett's job appeared to be in jeopardy; however, he managed to win the three straight games leading up to the season finale, leaving the Saints in playoff contention in the final week of the season. In week 17, the Saints defeated division rivals

Carolina Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

; however, the Saints needed other results to break their way and when the St. Louis Rams beat the New York Jets the Saints were eliminated despite having beaten the Rams, who finished with the same record. The Rams, Saints, and

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

all were 8–8, with the Rams having a 7–5 conference record, Saints 6–6, and the Vikings 5–7. The Rams received the number 1 wild-card due to having the best conference record out of the three, followed by the Vikings due to the 38–31 loss handed to the Saints in Week 6. Haslett was fired after the 2005 season, in which the

finished 3–13 and did not play any regular-season games in New Orleans due to Hurricane Katrina.

= Effect of Hurricane Katrina

Due to the damage Hurricane Katrina caused to the Superdome and the New Orleans area, the Saints' scheduled

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...

home opener against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

was moved to Giants Stadium. The remainder of their 2005 home games were split between the

Alamodome The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 milli ...

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

, and LSU's Tiger Stadium in

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of countie ...

Sean Payton years (2006–2021)

On January 17, 2006, the Saints hired

Sean Payton Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; ang ...

as their new head coach and, on March 14, signed former San Diego Chargers quarterback Drew Brees to a six-year, $60 million deal. On March 23, the Saints announced that the team's two 2006 preseason games were to be played at Shreveport, Louisiana, and

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

. After a $185 million renovation of the historic stadium, on April 6 the Saints released their 2006 schedule, with all home games scheduled to be played at the Superdome. On September 19, Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the team had sold out the

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

for the entire season with season tickets alone (68,354 seats), a first in franchise history. The September 25, home opener, the first home game in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Hurricane Katrina, was won by the Saints 23–3 against the Atlanta Falcons, who were undefeated in the 2006 season at that time. The attendance for the game was a sellout crowd of 70,003. Meanwhile, the broadcast of the game was

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

's highest-ever rated program to date, with an 11.8 rating, and viewership by 10.85 million homes. It was the most-watched program for the night, broadcast or cable, and was the second-highest rated cable program of all time at the time.

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a ...

and U2 performed "

Wake Me Up When September Ends "Wake Me Up When September Ends" is a song by American rock band Green Day, released on June 13, 2005, as the fourth single from the group's seventh studio album, '' American Idiot'' (2004). The acoustic ballad was written by frontman Billie Joe ...

" and " The Saints Are Coming", respectively, before the game. The game received a 2007 ESPY award for " Best Moment in Sports." The game is remembered by Saints fans for

Steve Gleason Stephen Michael "Steve" Gleason (born March 19, 1977) is a former professional American football Safety (gridiron football position), safety with the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Originally signed by the Indianapolis ...

's blocked punt on the opening series that resulted in a touchdown for New Orleans. On December 17, the Saints clinched their third division title and their first NFC South title in franchise history. For the first time in Saints' history, they clinched their NFC South title on their home field.

became the second consecutive Saints coach to win a division title in his first season. After the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

beat the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

23–7 on Christmas Day 2006, the Saints clinched a first-round playoff bye for the first time in franchise history, finishing the regular season with a record of 10–6. Sean Payton 07feb10

After the first-round bye, the Saints beat the

27–24 in the Superdome in the 2006 Divisional Playoffs. No team had ever had such a poor record in the prior year (3–13) and then gone on to a league or conference championship game since the 1999 St. Louis Rams who advanced to win their first Super Bowl after being 4–12 the season before. Since the Saints' only previous playoff win was in the wild card round, this was the farthest the Saints had ever advanced at the time. The victory was only the second playoff win in team history. The season ended on January 21, 2007, when the Saints lost 39–14 to the

in the

NFC Championship game The NFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the National Football Conference (NFC) and one of the two semi-final playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football league in the world ...

. The Saints announced that for the second year in a row, the

had sold out every ticket for the season. Additionally, all luxury boxes had been sold out for the season. Both of these statistics are particularly surprising given that the city-proper has about 300,000 people or 150,000 fewer people than July 2005 population data (though the metro area still accounts for 1.2 million people). The first game of the season was against the defending

Super Bowl XLI Super Bowl XLI was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Chicago Bears to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

champion

. The Saints lost this game, 41–10, and lost their next three games. In one of these three games, against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

, the Saints lost running back Deuce McAllister for the season with his second career (second time in three seasons) ACL tear. After winning their first game, against the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

, two weeks later, the team went on a four-game winning streak to bring their record to an even 4–4. After reaching 7–7, the Saints lost their final two games to finish 7–9. Following a disappointing 7–9 record in the 2007 season, the Saints ended the 2008 season 8–8. Failing to qualify for the post-season for the second straight year, the Saints found themselves struggling on defense. However, the Saints would match the explosive offense they had in the 2006 season. Drew Brees ended the 2008 season just 16 yards short of beating

Dan Marino Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and b ...

's single-season record of 5084 total passing yards, and receiver

Lance Moore Lance Andrew Moore (born August 31, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver who played over ten seasons professionally in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Toledo. He was signed by the Cleveland Brow ...

came 72 yards short of his first 1000-yard season.

= Super Bowl XLIV champions (2009)

The 2009 season was the team's most successful season, which culminated in the franchise's first league championship win against the

in Super Bowl XLIV. After achieving a record of 13–0 with their win over the Atlanta Falcons, it marked the Saints' best start to a season in its franchise history. The result clinched an NFC playoff berth, a bye in the first round of the playoffs. By winning their first 13 games, the Saints also set the record for the longest undefeated season opening (13–0) by an NFC team since the

AFL–NFL merger The AFL–NFL merger was the merger of the two major professional American football leagues in the United States at the time: the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL). It paved the way for the combined league, ...

, surpassing the previous record (12–0) held by the

1985 Chicago Bears The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. However, they would fall victim to the

in week 14, going on to end the season with a three-game losing streak. The Saints became the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing its last three regular-season games. Although its opponents would include winners of 9 of the last 15 NFL MVP awards, the team advanced to the 2009 NFC Championship game where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, led by

Brett Favre Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 consecutive starts from 1992 to 201 ...

, 31–28 in overtime, advancing to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Television ratings for Super Bowl XLIV (44) were the second highest for any TV program, sports or otherwise, in history, as their successful bid to win the Super Bowl was seen by many to represent the city's resurgence after the devastating Hurricane Katrina. The Saints' 2010 season began in the Superdome as the defending Super Bowl champions defeated the

14–9, in a rematch of the 2009 NFC Championship Game. It was played on Thursday, September 9, 2010, and televised on NBC, making it the first time the Saints have opened the NFL's season at home. On Sunday, August 8, 2010, NBC announced the televised opening festivities of the evening would begin with

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bo ...

and

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and back ...

. On December 27, 2010, with a 17–14 win against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta, the Saints clinched a playoff appearance (wild card). This marked the first time a team in the NFC South had made back-to-back playoff appearances since the division was formed in 2002. The Saints would face the Seattle Seahawks for the wild-card opener at Qwest Field. The Seahawks were the first NFL team to capture their division with a sub-.500 regular-season record (7–9). Drew Brees completed a postseason-record 39 passes for 404 yards and two touchdowns. Despite throwing 60 passes and hindered by a lack of depth at running back, last year's Super Bowl MVP was not intercepted and rallied the Saints within 34–30 in the fourth quarter. In the end, his efforts were negated by a defense that could not get enough stops and a late touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch breaking over a half-dozen tackles with 3:22 left which helped the Seahawks defeat the Saints 41–36. The Saints began their season with a loss against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

, but the team rebounded for the next four weeks to bring their record to 4–1. A loss to the

brought the record to 4–2, but the team bounced back with a 62–7 blowout win against the struggling

. A surprise loss to the St. Louis Rams resulted in the record dropping to 5–3. In the next seven weeks the Saints beat talented teams such as the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion

, and Atlanta Falcons, bringing their season record to 12–3. To cap off the season, quarterback Drew Brees broke the single-season passing record held for over 25 years, on the way to a Saints division-winning game. The Saints won the NFC South title on December 26 and ended the 2011 season as the third seed in the NFC. They finished with a 13–3 record, beating Carolina 45–17 and also giving running back Darren Sproles the record for most all-purpose yards in a single season. The team broke numerous records that year including most yards in a season, completion percentage, yards passing, completions and more. The New Orleans Saints beat the Detroit Lions in the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game 45–28. New Orleans also tied the NFL's postseason mark for team first downs in a game (34), and broke the record for total yards with 626, eclipsing the yardage record set 49 years ago. The Saints lost in the Divisional round in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers in

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...

that featured the Saints losing two leads in the last four minutes of regulation. After an off-season dominated by the bounty scandal and the year-long suspension of head coach

, the Saints sought to refocus on football and produce yet another winning year. Instead, the team, led by offensive line coach

Aaron Kromer Aaron Kromer (born April 30, 1967) is an American football coach who is the offensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). Kromer served as the interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints for the first six gam ...

for its first six games, started the season with four straight losses and a last-place spot in the NFC South. The team finally broke through with a win in Week 5, against the San Diego Chargers, a game that also saw quarterback Drew Brees break Johnny Unitas's longstanding record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass. After their bye week, the Saints went on to win 4 of their next 5 games, to bring their record to an even 5–5. Joe Vitt returned after his six-game suspension to serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. The team failed to hold its momentum however, and lost the next three games, including a loss at Atlanta that also marked the end of Brees' record touchdown streak after 54 games, and a 52–27 blowout loss to the Giants that dropped the Saints to 5–8. Despite winning 2 of their last 3 games, and Brees again leading the league with 5,177 passing yards (his third time to surpass 5,000 yards, as he remained the only quarterback to break that barrier more than once), the team finished third in the NFC South, at 7–9. The Saints defense allowed 7,042 yards, setting an NFL record. The Saints finished their 2013 preseason 3–1, and won their first five regular-season games against the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers,

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. The Saints under Sean Peyton had been winless in Chicago's Soldier Field and had not won in the Windy City since 2000. The Saints fared well against Chicago, Arizona and Miami, winning 26–18, 31–7 and 38–17 respectively, but needed a 4th down shutdown and a last-minute field goal to escape Atlanta and Tampa Bay. The Saints went on a 5–0 win streak, but were stopped short by the New England Patriots in Week 6, losing 30–27, with a touchdown pass by Tom Brady in the last 5 seconds of the game. New Orleans would go undefeated at home for the second straight season with Sean Payton as the head coach, but finish just 3–5 on the road. Key losses included a 7–34 blowout against the

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...

in Seattle which cost them homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, a 16–27 upset against the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis which led to the Saints needing to win their next game against Carolina to control their own playoff destiny, and a heartbreaking 13–17 defeat to their division rival the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in Charlotte who went on to win the NFC South. The Saints finished the season with an 11–5 record and earned a wild card berth as the sixth seed in the NFC. On January 4, 2014, the Saints recorded their first road playoff win in franchise history over the

26–24. On January 11, the Saints lost to the first seed, the Seattle Seahawks, once again in Seattle 15–23. The weather conditions were very poor, which gave the offense much difficulty. Despite the conditions, the defense of the Saints played well, holding Seattle to just 23 over the 34 points allowed against Seattle during the regular season. The Saints finished the season 7–9, second in their division behind the 7–8–1 Carolina Panthers. They missed out on the playoffs after being defeated 14–30 by their divisional rival, the Atlanta Falcons, in the second-to-last week of the season. This season was notorious in Saints history for having the 31st worst-ranked defense in the league, which is one of the main reasons for the Saints' poor 2014 campaign. The only two great performances by the defense out of the entire season came from a 44–23 home win against the

and a 31–15 victory against the

in Chicago. The Saints finished with a 7–9 record for the second consecutive season. They were third in the NFC South after the 15–1 NFC champions

and the 8–8 Atlanta Falcons. Their defense was historically bad. They allowed the most passing touchdowns in a season in

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

history as they allowed 45, effectively making them the worst passing defense in NFL history. They also set the NFL record in opposing passer rating (116.2), while finishing last in points allowed (29.8) and yards allowed per play (6.6). Atrocious play by defensive captain Brandon Browner, who set the NFL record for most penalties with 23, did not help the struggling Saints defense. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was fired near the half-way point in the season and was replaced by senior defensive assistant Dennis Allen. The Saints had strong play from their 2015 draft class. The Saints' first pick

Andrus Peat Andrus Jamerson Peat (born November 4, 1993) is an American football guard for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford. As a high school senior, he was considered the best college ...

started at right tackle and left guard at certain points in the season, and other first-round pick Stephone Anthony finished his rookie season with 112 tackles, one sack, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He had two scores, both coming against the Carolina Panthers and led all rookies in tackles. Second-round pick

Hau'oli Kikaha Hau'oli Kikaha (born July 24, 1992) is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Washington. Early years Kikaha att ...

had 4 sacks. Canadian football star Delvin Breaux, who was signed in the off-season, led the Saints struggling secondary with 3 interceptions and 19 pass deflections. Drew Brees also tied the NFL record for touchdown passes in a game with 7, coming against the

. The Saints finished with a 7–9 record for the third consecutive season, their offense finished first in the NFL in yards per game (426.0), second in points per game (29.3), and third in yards per play (6.2). Brees led the NFL in passing yards with 5,208. However the defense yet again struggled mightily, as they were allowed the 2nd most points per game (28.4) and 6th most yards per game (375.4) while being tied for 2nd worst in yards per play allowed (6.0). Despite an 0–2 start to the season, the Saints proceeded to win their next 8 games en route to an 11–5 finish, winning their first NFC South title since 2011. The Saints' turnaround was largely attributable to their draft, where they drafted cornerback Marshon Lattimore, offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, safety Marcus Williams, and running back Alvin Kamara. It is widely considered one of the best draft classes in NFL history. The defense drastically improved, as they allowed just 20.4 points per game while finishing third in the league with 20 interceptions. The offense continued to be excellent, finishing second in yards per game (391.2) and fourth in points per game (28.0). In the wild card round, the Saints defeated the

in the wild-card round, 31–26. However, in the divisional round, the Saints lost 29–24 to the

after a stunning finish in which Vikings quarterback

Case Keenum Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston Cougars football, Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time ...

completed a pass towards the sideline to Stefon Diggs, then Marcus Williams missed a tackle and Diggs was able to run to the end zone for a 61-yard touchdown with no time left on the clock. On March 15, 2018, the Saints' owner Tom Benson died from flu at the age of 90 after he was hospitalized on February 16, 2018. Benson's wife Gayle Benson succeeded him as the owner of the Saints and the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans. On January 25, 2022, Sean Payton announced to the team that he was stepping away as head coach after 15 seasons with the team. During his tenure as head coach, the Saints went 152-89 in the regular season and 9-8 in the postseason.

Dennis Allen years (2022-present)

The team promoted defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen to head coach on February 8, 2022. On November 14, 2022, after a 3-7 start, disappointed Saints fans started a petition on change.org, asking to relieve Dennis Allen of his duties.

Logos and uniforms

New Orleans Saints alternate (1967 - 1984)

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 The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry or the oil patch, includes the global processes of hydrocarbon exploration, exploration, extraction of petroleum, extraction, oil refinery, refining, Petroleum transport, transportation (of ...

. "Black gold" is a term

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...

ous with oil. Although the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

—who played a few home games in New Orleans during their early years to avoid conflict with the

Pittsburgh Panthers football The Pittsburgh Panthers football program is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has pl ...

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 The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in th ...

(a symbol of the City of New Orleans and of France's

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term p ...

, which included the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

), 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 were not introduced until 2022, after the NFL repealed its "one-helmet rule" previously enforced in 2013. The Saints predominantly wore white at home when the club played at

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

, temperatures on the field reached as high as . 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 The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

' 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 Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers fr ...

' 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 Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

(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

(until 1979),

(until 1997), and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

(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

, 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 Brian Fitzsimons Milne (born January 7, 1973) is a former American football fullback in the National Football League (NFL). Being drafted in the fourth round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He was placed on waivers before the seas ...

recovered for the Saints, who then ran out the clock to preserve the victory. In

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

, 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

, and again in weeks 16 and 17 in home games against the

and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

; 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 Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

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

, 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 The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

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

. 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

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. This uniform was brought back on December 4, 2016, a 28–13 loss to the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

, in commemoration of the franchise's 50th season. It was then shelved for five seasons before returning on November 21, 2022 against the

. 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,

and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The club's home ...

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

(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

. 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 The NFL Color Rush was a promotion done in conjunction with the National Football League (NFL) and Nike that promotes so-called "color vs. color" matchups with teams in matchup-specific uniforms that are primarily one solid color with alternatin ...

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

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

; 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 A wild card (also wildcard or wild-card and also known as an at-large berth or at-large bid) is a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that fails to qualify in the normal way; for example, by having a high ranking or winnin ...

against the

. However, the Saints' luck finally ran out, losing in overtime 26–20. In 2022, the Saints unveiled an alternate black helmet, featuring a gold fleur-de-lis on each side and a triangle pattern of tiny gold fleur-de-lis logos. The helmets are worn with the Color Rush uniforms. The black helmets made its official regular season debut in an NFL London Game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the

on October 2, 2022.

Stadium

Caesars Superdome is the Saints' home stadium. It has a listed

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile th ...

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 The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

(0–2).

Rivals

Divisional rivals

Atlanta Falcons

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

The Saints have a developing rivalry with the

, 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

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.

Super Bowl appearance(s)

Statistics

Season-by-season records

Record vs. opponents

, - , Jacksonville Jaguars , , 5 , , 2 , , 0 , , , , W 13–6 , , October 13, 2019 , ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, , , - ,

, , 39 , , 24 , , 0 , , , , L 10–20 , , September 18, 2022 , ,

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

, , 8 , , 5 , , 0 , , , , L 6–31 , , November 25, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, , 8 , , 5 , , 0 , , , , W 34–7 , , December 16, 2019 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , 1–0 postseason , - , Houston Texans , , 3 , , 2 , , 0 , , , , W 30–28 , , September 9, 2019 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 9 , , 6 , , 0 , , , , W 13–10 , , October 25, 2021 , ,

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, , 0–2 postseason , - ,

, , 18 , , 13 , , 0 , , , , W 21–9 , , January 10, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , 1–2 postseason , - ,

, , 9 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , W 31–28 , , December 23, 2018 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 14 , , 12 , , 1 , , , , W 35–29 , , October 4, 2020 , ,

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, , 1–0 postseason , - , New York Jets , , 8 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , W 30–9 , , December 12, 2021 , ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, , , - ,

, , 28 , , 28 , , 0 , , , , L 14–22 , , September 25, 2022, , Charlotte, North-Carolina , , 1–0 postseason , - , St. Louis / Phoenix / Arizona Cardinals , , 16 , , 16 , , 0 , , , , L 31–9 , , October 20, 2022 , ,

Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all deser ...

, , 1–0 postseason , - ,

, , 7 , , 8 , , 0 , , , , L 26–30 , , October 16, 2022 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - , Atlanta Falcons , , 53 , , 54 , , 0 , , , , W 27–26 , , September 11, 2022 , ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, , 0–1 postseason , - ,

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

/ Las Vegas Raiders , , 6 , , 7 , , 1 , , , , L 24–34 , , September 21, 2020 , ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, , , - ,

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

, , 6 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , L 20–3 , , December 27, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

/ Los Angeles Chargers , , 6 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , W 30–27 , , October 12, 2020 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 14 , , 17 , , 0 , , , , L 27–21 , , October 3, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - , St. Louis /

, , 34 , , 44 , , 0 , , , , L 9–27 , , September 15, 2019 , ,

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

, , 1–1 postseason , - ,

, , 13 , , 18 , , 0 , , , , L 27–17 , , December 2, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 5 , , 7 , , 0 , , , , L 29–32 , , December 20, 2020 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - , Houston Oilers /

, , 6 , , 9 , , 1 , , , , L 21–23 , , November 14, 2021 , ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

, , , - ,

, , 12 , , 18 , , 0 , , , , L 29–40 , , November 21, 2021 , ,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, , 3–1 postseason , - ,

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

, , 11 , , 17 , , 0 , , , , W 33–22 , , October 10, 2021 , , Washington, D.C. , , , - ,

, , 12 , , 22 , , 0 , , , , L 25–28 , , October 2, 2022 , ,

London, United Kingdom London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major se ...

, , 1–4 postseason , - ,

, , 10 , , 17 , , 0 , , , , W 38–3 , , September 12, 2021 , ,

, , , - ,

, , 27 , , 49 , , 2 , , , , L 0–13 , , November 27, 2022 , ,

Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...

, , 0–1 postseason , - ,

, , 5 , , 10 , , 0 , , , , L 28–13 , , September 26, 2021 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 2 , , 5 , , 0 , , , , W 24–23 , , October 21, 2018 , ,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, , , - ,

, , 5 , , 13 , , 0 , , , , W 21–18 , , September 16, 2018 , , New Orleans, Louisiana , , , - ,

, , 3 , , 9 , , 0 , , , , W 31–3 , , November 29, 2020 , ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

, , , - ! Total !! 402 !! 461 !! 5 !! !! colspan="4", , - ! Total including playoffs !! 412 !! 474 !! 5 !! !! colspan="4",

Single-game records

* Passing yards: 510 Drew Brees (November 19, 2006, vs

) * Passing yards per attempt: 16.1 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009, vs

) * Passing touchdowns: 7 Drew Brees (November 1, 2015, vs

) T – NFL record * Passer rating: 158.3 Drew Brees (November 30, 2009, vs

) T – NFL record * Consecutive pass completions: 23 Drew Brees (December 16/22, 2019, vs.

and

) * Rushing yards: 206 George Rogers (September 4, 1983, vs St. Louis Cardinals) * Rushing touchdowns: 6 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs

) T – NFL record * Receptions: 16 Michael Thomas (September 9, 2018, vs

) * Receptions, postseason game: 15 Darren Sproles (January 14, 2012, at

) * Receiving yards: 211 Michael Thomas (November 4, 2018, vs

) * Receiving touchdowns: 4

Joe Horn Joseph Horn (born January 16, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver and current assistant coach at Northeast Mississippi Community College. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and also ...

(December 14, 2003, vs

) * Punt return yards: 176 Reggie Bush (October 6, 2008, vs

) * Kickoff return yards: 304

Tyrone Hughes Tyrone Christopher Hughes (born January 14, 1970) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bears, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Nebraska. Ea ...

(October 23, 1994, vs

) NFL record * Kickoff return & punt return yards: 347

(October 23, 1994, vs

) NFL record * Passes intercepted: 3 Sammy Knight (September 9, 2001, at

) * 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 Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to '' Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. H ...

(October 13, 2002, vs

) * Longest field goal: 63 yards Tom Dempsey (November 8, 1970 vs

) * Field goals: 6 Tom Dempsey (November 16, 1969, at

) * Total touchdowns: 6 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs

) T – NFL record * Points scored: 36 Alvin Kamara (December 25, 2020 vs

) * Points scored, team: 62 (October 23, 2011, vs

) * Sacks: 4.0 many times, most recently Cameron Jordan, (November 28, 2019, vs Atlanta Falcons) * Margin of victory: 62–7 (October 23, 2011, vs

) * First downs: 40 (November 10, 2013, vs

) NFL record

Single-season records

* Passing attempts: 673 Drew Brees (2016) * Passing completions: 471 Drew Brees (2016) * 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 Patrick Travis Swilling (born October 25, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, and the Oakland Raiders. He had ...

(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 William “Wil” Lutz (born July 7, 1994) is an American football placekicker for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia State. Early life Lutz was born in Newnan, Georgia. Both his ...

(2019) * Points: 147 John Kasay (2011) * Total touchdowns: 21 Alvin Kamara (2020) * Punt return yards: 625

(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: 6,267 Mark Ingram II (2011–2018, 2021) * Rushing touchdowns: 51 Mark Ingram II (2011–2018, 2021) * 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 David Benjamin Waymer Jr. (July 1, 1958 – April 30, 1993) was an American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). Waymer graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1976. He played college football at Notre Dame, graduating i ...

(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

(2001–2006) * Punt return touchdowns: 4 Reggie Bush (2006–2010) * Kickoff return yards: 5,903

(2001–2006) * Longest punt: 81

Tom McNeill Thomas Gregg McNeill is a former professional American football player who played punter for seven seasons for the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles. He attended Spring Branch High School, Wharton County Jun ...

(1967–1969) * Games: 228 Drew Brees (2006–2020)

Notable players

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Until the selection of Rickey Jackson in 2010, there had been no players in the Hall of Fame who earned their credentials primarily as Saints; the others were chosen for their work with previous teams. Jim Finks’ tenure as Saints general manager was a significant factor in his selection. When offensive tackle Willie Roaf was selected in 2012, he became the second Saint to earn his Hall of Fame credentials mostly while in New Orleans. Roaf was a member of the NFL's All-Decade team of the '90s. Morten Andersen was selected in 2017, becoming the third former player inducted primarily for their accomplishments in New Orleans. Andersen was only the second full-time placekicker inducted into the Hall of Fame (the other was Jan Stenerud in 1991).

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

Pro Bowl players

The following Saints players have been named to at least one

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

: * QB Drew Brees, Archie Manning * FB Tony Baker * RB Deuce McAllister, Dalton Hilliard, Rueben Mayes, George Rogers, Chuck Muncie,

Andy Livingston Andy Livingston (born October 21, 1944) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played professionally for the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints. Early life Li ...

, Mark Ingram II, Alvin Kamara * LT Jammal Brown,

William Roaf William Layton Roaf (born April 18, 1970), nicknamed "Nasty," is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. He played college football for Louisiana Tech Bul ...

, Jermon Bushrod, Terron Armstead * LG Brad Edelman, Jake Kupp, Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs,

* C LeCharles Bentley,

Joel Hilgenberg Joel Hilgenberg (born July 10, 1962 in Iowa City, Iowa) was an American football center in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. Hilgenberg played college football at the University of Iowa and he is the brother of former ...

, Jonathan Goodwin, Max Unger * RG

Jahri Evans Jahri Divine Evans (born August 22, 1983) is an American former American football, football Guard (gridiron football), guard who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bloomsburg Huskies, Bloomsburg. Evans wa ...

, Larry Warford * RT Jon Stinchcomb * TE Hoby Brenner,

Henry Childs Henry Childs (April 16, 1951 – June 3, 2016) was an American football tight end in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, and the Green Bay Packers. He was a Pro Bowl player in 1979. Childs was inducted into t ...

, Jimmy Graham, Jared Cook * WR

, Eric Martin, Wes Chandler, Michael Thomas * DE

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

, Joe Johnson, Wayne Martin, Renaldo Turnbull, Bruce Clark, Cameron Jordan * DT La'Roi Glover * LB Jonathan Vilma, Mark Fields,

Keith Mitchell Keith Claudius Mitchell (born 12 November 1946) is a Grenadian politician who served as Prime Minister of Grenada from 1995 to 2008 and from 2013 to 2022. He is the longest-serving Prime Minister in Grenadian history, holding the office for more ...

, Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson,

, Rickey Jackson, Renaldo Turnbull * CB

Bennie Thompson Bennie Gordon Thompson (born January 28, 1948) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1993. A member of the Democratic Party, Thompson has been the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2019 and fro ...

, Dave Whitsell, Marshon Lattimore * SS Roman Harper, Sammy Knight, Tom Myers,

J. T. Gray Juantavius Tavon "J. T." Gray (born January 18, 1996) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Mississippi State. Professional career Gray signed with the New ...

* FS Darren Sharper * K Morten Andersen, Tom Dempsey,

* P Mitch Berger, Brian Hansen, Thomas Morstead * RS

Deonte Harris Deonte Harty (born Deonte Harris, December 4, 1997) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Assumption University in Worcester, M ...

Two Saints head coaches have participated in the Pro Bowl, Tom Fears in 1970 (1969 season) and

in 2007 (2006 season) and 2018 (2017 season).

Super Bowl MVPs

Retired numbers

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

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 –

* (2000–2006) * C – John Hill* (1975–1984) * G – Jim Dombrowski* (1986–1996) * G –

* (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 Thomas Ray Barnhardt (born June 11, 1963) is a former American football punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of North Carolina and was selected in the ninth round (223rd overall) of the 1986 ...

(1987, 1989–1994, 1999) * ST – Fred McAfee* (1991–1993, 2000–2006) * KR/PR –

* (2001–2006) Defense * DE – Wayne Martin (1989–1999) * DE –

Jim Wilks Jimmy Ray Wilks (born March 12, 1958 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American football defensive end who played 13 seasons for the New Orleans Saints in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State. ...

(1981–1993) * DE – Joe Johnson* (1994–1998, 2000–2001) * DE –

(2004–2012) * LB – Sam Mills* (1986–1994) * LB – Vaughan Johnson* (1986–1993) * LB – Rickey Jackson* (1981–1993) * LB –

* (1986–1992) * CB –

* (1980–1989) * CB – Mike McKenzie (2004–2009) * S – Tommy Myers (1972–1981) * S – Sammy Knight (1997–2002) Coach *

(2006–2021) Unanimous selection

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

¹ 2005 induction ceremonies postponed to October 27, 2006, due to Hurricane Katrina

Staff

Coaches

Current staff

Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award

The ''Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award'' is given yearly to a person who has contributed to the betterment of the New Orleans Saints organization. The award is named for Joe Gemelli, a New Orleans clothing store owner and an active supporter of sports in the city, who was known as the team's biggest fan. * 1989:

* 1990: Joe Gemelli * 1991:

* 1992: Charlie Kertz * 1993:

Wayne Mack Wayne Mack (May 22, 1924 – April 1, 1993) was a broadcast journalist, television entertainer, and sportscaster who served the New Orleans, Louisiana, market from 1958 to 1992. Early life and education Mack was born Vernis McGlinn in Pekin, I ...

* 1994: Erby Aucoin * 1995:

Aaron Broussard Aaron Francis Broussard (born January 6, 1949) is a former American politician who served as the president, a combined municipal-parish position, of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, from 2003 to 2010. A Democrat, Broussard became known nationally for ...

* 1996: Marie Knutson * 1997: Angela Hill * 1998: Joe Impastato * 1999: Frank Wilson * 2000: Bob Remy * 2001: Peter "Champ" Clark * 2002: Dean Kleinschmidt * 2003: Jim Fast * 2004: Bob Roesler * 2005–06:

Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto Bernard Saverio Diliberto, Jr., a.k.a. "Buddy" and/or "Buddy D" (August 18, 1931 – January 7, 2005) was a sports commentator in New Orleans for over 50 years. Buddy earned a Purple Heart for sustaining shrapnel wounds in the Korean War, during wh ...

(2005 induction ceremonies postponed to October 27, 2006, due to Hurricane Katrina) * 2007: New Orleans Saints fans * 2008: Barra Birrcher * 2009: Jerry Romig * 2010: Dan "Chief" Simmons and Glennon "Silky" Powell * 2011: Bruce Miller * 2012: Jim Henderson"McAllister, Benson, Henderson to be honored by Saints Hall of Fame"
,

WWL-TV WWL-TV (channel 4) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Slidell-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate WUPL (channel 54). Both stations share studios on Rampart S ...

, May 18, 2012. * 2013: Peter Finney * 2014: Al Nastasi and Tony Piazza * 2015: Doug Thornton * 2016: Hokie Gajan * 2017: Jay Romig * 2018: Michael C. Hebert * 2019: Gov. Kathleen Blanco * 2020: Marco Garcia

Current roster

Cheerleaders

The Saintsations are the

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ent ...

squad for the Saints. A cheerleading squad has existed since the franchise's founding, but the current name was only adopted in 1987.

Radio and television

The Saints'

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

station is WWL (870 AM/

105.3 FM The following radio broadcasting, radio stations broadcast on FM broadcasting, FM frequency 105.3 MHz: Argentina * América in Paraná, Entre Ríos * Blue in La Plata, Buenos Aires * Del Buen Ayre in Bella Vista, Buenos Aires * El Signo (rad ...

), one of the oldest radio stations in the city of New Orleans and one of the nation's most powerful as a

clear-channel station A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-co ...

with 50,000 watts of power. Longtime

reporter and anchor Mike Hoss is the play-by-play announcer, with former Saints running back Deuce McAllister as color commentator. Hoss succeeded former Saints guard Zach Strief when Strief was named to the Saints' coaching staff in the spring of 2021. Strief succeeded longtime play-by-play announcer Jim Henderson in 2018, and McAllister succeeded another former Saints running back, Hokie Gajan, in the role after Gajan's death on April 11, 2016, from liposarcoma. Henderson was the play-by-play announcer for Saints radio broadcasts continuously from 1993 to 2017, and previously held the position from 1986 to 1989 after serving as a color commentator from 1981 to 1985, and again in 1992, when Dave Garrett was play-by-play announcer. Previous color commentators include former Saints players Jim Taylor (RB, 1967),

Steve Stonebreaker Thornton Steve Stonebreaker (October 28, 1938 – March 28, 1995) was a professional American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Detroit and was picked by the Min ...

(LB, 1967–68), Danny Abramowicz (WR, 1967–73), Archie Manning (QB, 1971–82) and Stan Brock (OT, 1980–91). Most preseason games are televised by WVUE (Channel 8), a station which until its outright 2017 sale to

Raycom Media Raycom Media, Inc. was an American television broadcasting company based in Montgomery, Alabama. Raycom owned and/or provided services for 65 television stations and two radio stations across 44 markets in 20 states. Raycom, through its Commun ...

(and subsequent sale in 2019 to

Gray Television Gray Television, Inc. is an American publicly traded television broadcasting company based in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1946 by James Harrison Gray as Gray Communications Systems, the company owns or operates 180 stations across the United St ...

) was owned by a consortium led by Saints owner Tom Benson since mid-2008 (that consortium, now led by Gayle Benson, continues to hold a minority stake in the station). As the Fox affiliate for New Orleans, it carries the majority of Saints games; WVUE also carries a heavy complement of coach and player shows. Tim Brando and Jon Stinchcomb call the preseason games for the Saints. Saints preseason games were previously produced by Cox Sports Television. Beginning in the 2015 season, owing to Raycom's management of the station on behalf of Tom Benson's ownership group, production of preseason telecasts were taken over by Raycom Sports under a new multi-year deal, and syndicated to Raycom stations and others around the team's footprint. Regular season games are also aired on

, the local CBS station whenever they host an AFC opponent (and games vs. NFC opponents cross-flexed from Fox to CBS) and NBC affiliate

WDSU WDSU (channel 6) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Howard Avenue in the city's Central Business District, and its transmi ...

via ''Sunday Night Football'', with the latter also syndicating ''

'' games for local airing from sister operation

References

External links

*
New Orleans Saints
at the

official website {{Authority control National Football League teams American football teams established in 1967 1967 establishments in Louisiana

Franchise history

Early history

John Mecom Jr. era (1967-1984)

Benson era (1985-present)

Jim E. Mora years (1986–1996)

Mike Ditka years (1997–1999)

Jim Haslett years (2000–2005)

= Effect of Hurricane Katrina

Sean Payton years (2006–2021)

= Super Bowl XLIV champions (2009)

Dennis Allen years (2022-present)

Logos and uniforms

2000s

Stadium

Rivals

Divisional rivals

Atlanta Falcons

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Carolina Panthers

Non-division rivals

Minnesota Vikings

Super Bowl appearance(s)

Statistics

Season-by-season records

Record vs. opponents

Single-game records

Single-season records

Career records

Notable players

Pro Football Hall of Famers

Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame

Pro Bowl players

Super Bowl MVPs

Retired numbers

Ring of Honor

45th Anniversary Team

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

Staff

Coaches

Current staff

Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award

Current roster

Cheerleaders

Radio and television

See also

References

External links