New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. They play in the National Football League as part of the National Football Conference South division. The team was founded on November 1, 1966, by John W. Mecom Jr., David Dixon, and the city of New Orleans, and they joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1967.

For many years, the Saints struggled and had trouble winning games. They went through 20 seasons without winning more games than they lost or making it to the playoffs. Their first successful season came in 1987, but they didn’t win a playoff game until the year 2000. Things started to get better in the 2000s and 2010s, and the team became a regular contender for the playoffs.

The Saints’ biggest achievement came in the 2009 season when they won the Super Bowl XLIV. This was the only time the team has ever appeared in the Super Bowl. Since their first years, the Saints have played their home games at the Caesars Superdome, after starting in Tulane Stadium for their first eight seasons.

History

Main article: History of the New Orleans Saints

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 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 an expansion 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 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)

U.S. House Majority Whip from Louisiana Hale Boggs attached the merger to a bill approving an exemption from antitrust sanctions allowing for the merger and the team. 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.

Tom Fears was named as the team's first head coach. The inaugural game on September 17, 1967, 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 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 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.

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. 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 before 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 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). During the 1999 NFL draft, 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 in order to draft University of Texas 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 with a 10–6 mark 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. 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 in both of their regular seasonmeetings, only the second team to do so in NFL history.

In 2003, the Saints again missed the playoffs after finishing 8–8. The 2004 season started poorly for the Saints, 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; 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 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 Saints finished 3–13 and played no regular-season games in New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina.

Effect of Hurricane Katrina

Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans Saints

Due to the damage Hurricane Katrina caused to the Superdome and the New Orleans area, the Saints' scheduled 2005 home opener against the New York Giants was moved to Giants Stadium. The remainder of their 2005 home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and LSU's Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.

Sean Payton years (2006–2021)

On January 17, 2006, the Saints hired Sean Payton 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. 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 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 after 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'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 and U2 performed "Wake Me Up When September Ends" and "The Saints Are Coming", respectively, before the game. The game is remembered by Saints fans for Steve Gleason'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. Sean Payton became the second consecutive Saints coach to win a division title in his first season. After the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys 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.

After the first-round bye, the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 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 a 39–14 blowout to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game.

The Saints announced that for the second year in a row, the Louisiana Superdome had sold out every ticket for the season.

The first game of the season was against the defending Super Bowl XLI champion Indianapolis Colts. The Saints lost this game, 41–10, and lost their next three games. In one of these three games, against the Tennessee Titans, 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, 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's single-season record of 5084 total passing yards, and receiver Lance Moore came 72 yards short of his first 1,000-yard season.

Super Bowl XLIV champions (2009)

Main article: 2009 New Orleans Saints season

The 2009 season was the team's most successful season, which culminated in the franchise's first league championship win against the Indianapolis Colts 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 and 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, surpassing the previous record (12–0) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears. However, they would fall victim to the Dallas Cowboys 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, 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 Minnesota Vikings 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 and Dave Matthews Band. 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 playoff 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, but the team rebounded for the next four weeks to bring their record to 4–1. A loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought the record to 4–2, but the team bounced back with a 62–7 blowout win against the struggling Indianapolis Colts. 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 New York Giants, Detroit Lions, 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 wildcard 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 that featured the Saints losing two leads in the last four minutes of regulation.

After an offseason dominated by the bounty scandal and the year-long suspension of head coach Sean Payton, the Saints sought to refocus on football and produce yet another winning year. Instead, the team, led by offensive line coach Aaron Kromer 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 the 2013 preseason 3–1, and won their first five regular season games against the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, 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 Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football 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 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 Philadelphia Eagles 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 Green Bay Packers and a 31–15 victory against the Chicago Bears 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 Carolina Panthers and the 8–8 Atlanta Falcons. Their defense was historically bad. They allowed the most passing touchdowns in a season in NFL 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 halfway 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 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 had 4 sacks. Canadian football star Delvin Breaux, who was signed in the offseason, 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 New York Giants.

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 2017 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 Carolina Panthers in the wild card round, 31–26. However, in the divisional round, the Saints lost 29–24 to the Minnesota Vikings after the Vikings completed the Minneapolis Miracle. The Minneapolis Miracle was a stunning finish in which Vikings quarterback Case Keenum 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.

In the 2018 season, the Saints finished with a 13–3 record and won the NFC South. The Saints defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 20–14 in the Divisional Round. The Saints fell to the Los Angeles Rams 26–23 in overtime in the NFC Championship in a game that had a controversial ending to regulation.

In the 2019 season, the Saints finished with a 13–3 record and won the NFC South. The Saints lost 26–20 in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card Round.

In the 2020 season, the Saints won the NFC South with a 12–4 record. In the Wild Card Round, they defeated the Chicago Bears 21–9. In the Divisional Round, they fell to their NFC South rivals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30–20. The loss was Drew Brees's final game.

Following Drew Brees's retirement, the Saints had a revolving door at quarterback in the 2021 season with Trevor Siemian, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, and Ian Book starting over the course of the year. In the 2021 season, the Saints finished 9–8 and missed the postseason.

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 (2022–2024)

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. The Saints finished the 2022 season with a 7–10 mark and missed the postseason. Allen would maintain his head coaching position into the start of the 2023 season.

During the 2023 season, The Saints brought in a new quarterback in Derek Carr hoping that he would solidify the position. Dennis Allen and the Saints had one of the easiest schedules in the league, but finished with a 9–8 record missing the playoffs after a 3rd straight season.

Dennis Allen was fired on November 4, 2024, following a 23–22 loss to division rivals Carolina Panthers and a 2–7 start.

NFL ownership

The franchise was founded by local entrepreneurs led by Dave Dixon who was instrumental in bringing the NFL to New Orleans. The franchise was purchased by Tom Benson in 1985 and remained in his ownership until his death in 2018. Benson then bequeathed the team to his wife Gayle Benson upon his death. The franchise is currently owned by Gayle Benson.

Legacy

The Saints are known for their passionate fan base, especially their "Who Dat" chant, which has become a cultural symbol of New Orleans. The team has also had a significant impact on the city, particularly after Hurricane Katrina when the Saints' resilience and return to New Orleans helped the city heal and rebuild.

Seasons

Rivalries

The Saints have several notable rivalries, including with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South, as well as historic rivalries with the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears.

Culture

The Saints have a strong connection to the culture of New Orleans, with the team name reflecting the city's jazz heritage and the "Who Dat" chant echoing the city's spirit and resilience. The team has also embraced local traditions, such as incorporating mardi gras themes into their games and community events.

Coaching staff and players

Honors

The Saints have won one Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLIV), one conference championship, and four divisional championships.

Notable players

The Saints have had many notable players throughout their history, including Drew Brees, who holds numerous franchise records and is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and Marshall Faulk, who was a key player in the team's early years.

Championships

The Saints have won one Super Bowl championship (Super Bowl XLIV), which came after the 2009 season. They defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31–17 in Super Bowl XLIV, securing their first and only league championship.

Draft history

Franchise records

Media

The Saints are broadcast locally by WWL-TV, WWL-FM, and WWL-AM, with Jim Henderson as the play-by-play announcer.

Logos and uniforms

The New Orleans Saints team colors are black, old gold, and white. The team was almost named after a different color, but the league said no. The Saints logo is a fleur-de-lis, a symbol of New Orleans. Their uniforms have gold helmets and either black or white jerseys.

The Saints have worn mostly the same uniforms since 1967. They used to wear white jerseys at home, but now they wear black ones more often. In 2022, they got new black helmets with gold designs. The team has special uniforms for special games, like throwback uniforms that look like the old ones from 1967.

Stadium

Caesars Superdome is where the New Orleans Saints play their home games. It can hold lots of fans—up to 76,468 when it’s set up for big games, or 73,208 when it’s not. The Saints have always won when they play against the Houston Texans there, but they haven’t won any games against the Baltimore Ravens at this stadium.

Rivalries

Divisional

Atlanta Falcons

Main article: Falcons–Saints rivalry

The New Orleans Saints have a long rivalry with the Atlanta Falcons. Both teams started in the NFL in the late 1960s and have played each other often. This has created a strong rivalry between the two cities. As of the 2025 season, the Falcons are just ahead with 58 wins to the Saints' 57.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Main article: Buccaneers–Saints rivalry

The Saints also have a rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Since 2002, both teams have been in the same division. The Saints lead this rivalry with 40 wins to the Buccaneers' 25. They have met in the playoffs once, with the Buccaneers winning in 2021.

Carolina Panthers

Main article: Panthers–Saints rivalry

The Saints and the Carolina Panthers became division rivals when the Panthers joined the NFL in 1995. The Panthers had a winning streak against the Saints from 2002 to 2008. The Saints lead the overall rivalry with 31 wins to the Panthers' 28.

Conference

Minnesota Vikings

Main article: Saints–Vikings rivalry

The Saints and the Minnesota Vikings have met in many important games, including some in the playoffs. As of the 2024 season, the Vikings lead with 25 wins to the Saints' 13.

Los Angeles Rams

Main article: Rams–Saints rivalry

The Saints and the Los Angeles Rams had a strong rivalry before 2002 when they were in the same division. They met again in the playoffs and had some disagreements in the media. As of the 2024 season, the Rams lead with 45 wins to the Saints' 35.

Statistics

The New Orleans Saints have been playing in the NFL since 1967, competing in 58 seasons so far. They have achieved a total record of 427 wins, 493 losses, and 5 ties.

Overall records

Main article: List of New Orleans Saints seasons

Season-by-season records

Single-game records

Some notable single-game achievements by Saints players include:

• Highest passing yards in a game: 510 by Drew Brees
• Most passing touchdowns in a game: 7 by Drew Brees (tied with an NFL record)
• Most rushing yards in a game: 206 by George Rogers
• Most receiving yards in a game: 211 by Michael Thomas
• Longest kick return: 304 yards by Tyrone Hughes (an NFL record)

Super Bowl appearance(s)

Single-season records

Notable single-season records include:

• Most passing yards in a season: 5,476 by Drew Brees
• Most receiving yards in a season: 1,725 by Michael Thomas
• Most receptions in a season: 149 by Michael Thomas (an NFL record)
• Most rushing touchdowns in a season: 16 by Alvin Kamara

Career records

Career highlights for Saints players include:

• Most career passing yards: 68,010 by Drew Brees
• Most career receiving yards: 9,759 by Marques Colston
• Most career rushing yards: 7,250 by Alvin Kamara
• Most career quarterback sacks: 132 by Cameron Jordan

Notable players

See also: List of New Orleans Saints players

Until 2010, no players from the New Orleans Saints were in the Pro Football Hall of Fame unless they played for other teams first. Jim Finks, who was the team's general manager, helped him get into the Hall of Fame. In 2012, Willie Roaf became the second Saint to earn his Hall of Fame spot mostly with the Saints. He was part of the NFL's best team of the 1990s. Morten Andersen joined in 2017, becoming the third player mainly recognized for his time with the Saints. He was only the second kicker ever in the Hall of Fame, after Jan Stenerud in 1991. Sam Mills was added in 2022 as the fourth player mainly for his work with the Saints. In 2026, Drew Brees became the fifth Saint in the Hall of Fame.

Many Saints players have been chosen to play in the Pro Bowl, including Drew Brees, Archie Manning, Deuce McAllister, Jimmy Graham, Marshon Lattimore, and Cameron Jordan, among others.

The Saints also have a Ring of Honor to celebrate important players and people who helped the team. The first three honored were Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson, and Willie Roaf, recognized in 2013.

To celebrate the team's 45th anniversary, the Saints Hall of Fame chose an All-45th Anniversary Team. The team includes great players like Drew Brees, Willie Roaf, Morten Andersen, and coach Sean Payton.

Staff

Coaches

See also: List of New Orleans Saints head coaches

Current staff

The New Orleans Saints have a team of coaches who help guide the players. These coaches work together to create strategies and support the team in every game.

Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award

The Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award is given each year to someone who has helped make the New Orleans Saints better. The award is named after Joe Gemelli, a clothing store owner in New Orleans who loved sports and was a big fan of the team.

• 1989: Al Hirt
• 1990: Joe Gemelli
• 1991: Dave Dixon
• 1992: Charlie Kertz
• 1993: Wayne Mack
• 1994: Erby Aucoin
• 1995: Aaron Broussard
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 2023: Steve Paretti and Bob Parkinson
• 2025: Ed Daniels

Current roster

The provided content does not contain any prose about the current roster, so there is nothing to summarize for this section. If there were any tables or placeholders present, they would be included here, but based on the instructions, only the heading is outputted.

If there are any `` placeholders in the original source, they should be included here. Since none are indicated, the section remains empty aside from the heading.

Cheerleaders

Main article: Saints Cheer Krewe

The Saints Cheer Krewe (formerly Saintsations) are the cheerleading team for the Saints. There has been a cheerleading team since the team started. The team was called the Saintsations from 1987 to 2021. In 2021, they changed their name to the Saints Cheer Krewe.

Radio and television

See also: New Orleans Saints Radio Network

The New Orleans Saints' main radio station is WWL (870 AM/105.3 FM), a very old and powerful station in New Orleans. Mike Hoss, a reporter and anchor from WWL-TV, is the main announcer, and Deuce McAllister, a former Saints player, gives expert advice during the games.

Most preseason games are shown on WVUE (Channel 8). Tim Brando and Jon Stinchcomb describe these games. Regular season games are shown on WWL-TV when the Saints play against teams from another group, and on WDSU for special Sunday and Monday night games.