A unique franchise — in a part of the country where Jazz and cajun cooking rule — the New Orleans Saints languished in anonymity for many years. They won a Super Bowl with a star quarterback in 2009, but these days aren’t considered title contenders. But maybe a free-agent standout will get healthy in time to make 2024 special. Until then, here’s a little summer reading: the 10 greatest New Orleans Saints of all time.
New Orleans joined the NFL fray in 1967. But the fun ride didn’t come quickly. The Saints finished 3-11 in their first season and didn’t place higher than second in their division until 1979. Even the opening of the Superdome in 1975 didn’t change their fortunes. In 1980, New Orleans opened with a record of 0-14, and a local sportscaster, Buddy Diliberto, encouraged fans to wear bags over their heads and the Saints became the “Aints.”
In 1985, Tom Benson bought the team and hired Jim Mora as head coach. Two years later, the Saints had their first playoff team (playoffs??). And 37 years later, ClutchPoints takes a stance on the 10 greatest Saints of all time.
Saints’ top spot goes to QB Drew Brees
Since it’s obvious, let’s not hide the No. 1 guy. The New Orleans Saints’ greatest list must have Drew Brees at the top. Or it’s probably not legitimate.
Brees, as you’ll read later if you stay until the end, compiled one of the greatest statistical resumes of any quarterback in NFL history — not named Tom Brady, of course.
10. LB Sam Mills
A 5-foot-9 and 229 pounds, Mills couldn’t lay claim to prototypical NFL linebacker status. But it didn’t matter. He finished his career with five Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro honors.
With 1,265 tackles, 22 forced fumbles, 20.5 sacks and 11 career interceptions, Mills proved his worth despite giving up size to most of the guys who came at him.
Known as the “Field Mouse,” Mills led the Saints’ “Dome Patrol” defense. His intelligence and instincts made him one of the most difficult-to-solve defenders in the league.
Player personnel director Bill Kuharich told Talk of Fame Network in 2015 that Mills set a standard.
“Every time there’s a small linebacker that people talk about they say, ‘He’s the next Sam Mills,’” Kuharich said. “But there will never be another Sam Mills. He was A-1 in every category you can think of. He had a great work ethic along with intelligence and instincts). And his preparation couldn’t be matched by anyone. Sam Mills’ work ethic was over the top. I would put him up against anybody in that conversation. He was a pro’s pro.”
9. DE Cameron Jordan
A first-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft, Jordan has paid dividends and then some. And at 35 years old, he’s still at the top of the Saints’ defensive end depth chart.
Jordan stands as the Saints’ all-time sack leader with 117.5. His breakout season came in 2013, when he racked up 12.5 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl honor.
Later, he racked up a dominant run. From 2017-19 he totaled 13, 12 and 15.5 sacks. He finished fourth in the AP defensive player of the year voting in 2017 and earned the first of three straight All-Pro honors. For his career, he’s an eight-time Pro Bowl selection.
Jordan told nfl.com his dad, Steve — a six-time Pro Bowl selection — made a big difference for his career.
“As much as you'd want to complain, you see this man getting it,” Jordan said of his father. “He's running 50-yard sprints, 75-yard sprints, he's got a whole system running these old Viking workouts, which was really the key. I stole them the first two years just because he was always in shape. He was always running, he was doing these NFL Iron Man workouts or whatever it is, so I couldn't complain too much.”
8. WR Michael Thomas
Thomas quickly established himself as one of the best receivers in the NFL. His precise route running and catching ability made him a favorite target for Saints quarterbacks, especially Brees.
Thomas set the NFL record for most receptions in a single season in 2019, grabbing 149 balls out of 185 targets. He also totaled 1,725 yads and nine touchdowns and was chosen as the AP offensive player of the year.
Former NFL star receiver Keyshawn Johnson Thomas told nypost.com that Thomas is set apart by his hands and catch radius. And also his work ethic.
“I think it’s his work ethic,” Johnson said. “His willingness to not be guarded, attention to detail, all of those things. When you’re running the right routes and you’re doing everything the right way, you’ll be difficult to guard.”
Injuries have markedly derailed Thomas’ career and he has played in only 20 games over the last four seasons.
7. RB Deuce McAllister
It would be tough to keep McAllister off this list, especially with the year he had in 2003.
McAllister played behind Ricky Williams as a rookie, but burst out in year two. He rushed for 1,388 yards (leading the NFC) and totaled 13 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 352 yards and three scores, earning his first Pro Bowl honors.
But in 2003 he exploded, rushing for 1,641 yards and scoring eight touchdowns. He also grabbed a career-high 69 passes for 516 yards as he made another Pro Bowl. He finished sixth in the AP offensive player of the year voting.
The 1,641 yards were the second most in a single season in team history. McAllister rushed for over 1,000 yards in 2004 and 2006 despite fighting through injuries. He led the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns before being passed recently in those categories by Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.
At 6-1 and 232 pounds McAllister punished opponents with his powerful running style.
6. LB Pat Swilling
In his first seven NFL seasons, Swilling recorded 10 or more sacks four times. That included 1989 when he totaled 16.5 sacks and earned his first All-Pro second-team honor. In 1990, Swilling had a career best 63 tackles, including 11 sacks, and made the All-Pro second team again.
The Saints captured their first-ever division title in 1991, winning the NFC West over defending Super Bowl champion San Francisco. Of course, Swilling stood in the middle of it with his best NFL season. He led the league with 17 sacks, recorded 60 tackles, forced six fumbles, and was named the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Swilling was chosen as a first-team All-Pro again in 1992 and finished off the run with a 1993 Pro Bowl honor while with the Detroit Lions.
Swilling was an integral part of the first winning season and started on the first four playoff teams in Saints' history (1987, 1990, 1991, and 1992).
A key member of the Saints’ “Dome Patrol” defense, Swilling’s combination of speed and power made a major problem for opposing offenses.
5. WR Marques Colston
The franchise leader in receptions (711), receiving yards (9,759) and touchdowns (both 72), the 6-4, 225-pound Colston set a high Saints standard. Also, he holds the mark for games played by a receiver with 146.
A seventh-round draft pick, Colston made NFL scouts look silly. He burst onto the NFL scene in 2006, collecting 70 receptions for 1,038 and eight touchdowns. And he finished runner-up in the AP offensive rookie of the year voting.
He was even better in 2007, catching 98 passes for 1,202 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Consistency turned into a trademark. Colston had over 900 yards receiving in seven of his first eight NFL seasons. Six of those years were 1,000-yard performances.
4. G Jahri Evans
He isn’t in the Hall of Fame, but Evans may have a legitimate claim to be there. He spent his 11 year NFL career protecting Drew Brees.
Drafted in the fourth round out of Pennsylvania’s Bloomburg University, he represented the Saints in six consecutive Pro Bowls, with four appearances on the first-team All-Pro list. A rock-solid pass protector, Evans added vicious run blocking to his body of work.
Former Saints coach Sean Payton told neworleanssaints.com that Evans had special qualities.
“Jahri was a fantastic player for our team and an integral part of our success on offense and as a team overall,” Payton said. “He was one of the toughest and smartest players I have ever been around in coaching and that coupled with his unselfishness and dependability made him one of the most respected players in our locker room.”
3. Willie Roaf
His 6-5, 320-pound frame didn’t escape the notice of NFL scouts and Roaf got snagged by the Saints in the first round (No. 8 overall) of the 1993 draft.
A different era from today’s pass-happy league, Roaf played in the brutal trenches as part of a physical running game. Roaf earned 11 Pro Bowl honors while also collecting All-Pro first- or second-team awards a total of nine times. Perhaps remarkably, he remained an All-Pro selection in 2005, the last of his 13 seasons.
Roaf demolished pass rushers with his power and frustrated them with his quickness. Former coach Dick Vermeil told cbssports.com that Roaf toyed with opponents.
“I've never been around a lineman (like Roaf who) could physically dominate another good NFL defensive lineman or linebacker in the league,” Vermeil said. “He could dominate an All-Pro, reducing him to the level of an average player. His explosive moves out of his stance have never been equaled by anyone. His ability to get out into the perimeter with speed and grace and then block a moving target in space was spectacular.”
2. LB Rickey Jackson
It’s good to go old school sometimes, and Jackson brings those memories. The Saints plucked him from the college ranks in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft, and he spent all but two of his 15 years with the organization. His 195 games played rank as the second-highest total in franchise history. And he missed only two regular season games out of a possible 229 in his career.
Jackson finished his career with 128 sacks, mins the eight in his rookie season when the statistic wasn’t an official part of the NFL record books. His total ranks 16th all time in NFL history, and the led the Saints franchise until recently getting passed by Cameron Jordan. He is also the franchise's all-time leader in fumble recoveries with 26.
In his rookie season he led the Saints with 125 tackles. Then in 1983, Jackson earned a Pro Bowl trip for the first time, establishing himself as one of the NFL's top pass rushers with 12 sacks. It was the first of four consecutive seasons with a Pro Bowl selection.
With a rock-tough approach and a relentless motor, Jackson made a permanent name for himself in Saints history.
1. Drew Brees
After five seasons in San Diego, Drew Brees became the face of a different franchise.
No Saints’ history story should begin without mentioning Brees as the heart and soul.
Arriving in 2006, Brees turned the Saints into perennial postseason contenders. Despite his small size for a quarterback (6-0 and 209 pounds), his incredibly precise passing, unparalleled work ethic, and leadership both on and off the field made him a beloved figure in the city of New Orleans. And in 2009, he brought those folks a trophy when the Saints won the Super Bowl — with Brees earning MVP honors.
Brees played 20 NFL seasons, 15 with the Saints. And they were 20 of the most productive in NFL history. When he stepped away from the game after the 2020 season, Brees ranked first in NFL history for passing yards (80,358) and 5,000-yard seasons (five). He was AP offensive player of the year in 2008 and 2011, and four times finished runner-up for the MVP award (2006, 2009, 2011 and 2018).
One of his favorite receivers, Marques Colston, told neworleanssaints.com that consistency was Brees’ brilliance.
“Like, to be able to do that for 20 years,” Colston said. “There is no grand moment. There's literally a commitment to millions of small, intentional moments, that create that kind of a career. It's everything.
“I’m looking at me playing 10 years. There's no way on earth that I would be able to double up my career, just mentally. But I think the ability to always strive to compete at the highest level, always find ways to get better. For him to be able to do that, and have the mental fortitude to do that for two decades, there's a reason why you have not seen that. It's so rare to be able to stay that locked in for that long, and continue to try to get better along the way, when you own every record in the book.”
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