athlore
HomeDiscoverLibrarySign inCreate account
↗
⌂Home◎Discover⌕Library
NFL/Teams/New Orleans Saints
FRANCHISE

NFL franchise story

New Orleans Saints

The Saints moved from bags-over-head futility to the Dome Patrol, then became a symbol of civic recovery and offensive invention through Sean Payton and Drew Brees.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the New Orleans Saints.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: New Orleans Saints official NFL team page ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

1967—1986

01
NOMANNING—Archie Manning
NODEMPSEY—Tom Dempsey
NOMUNCIE—Chuck Muncie

Dempsey's kick and Manning's resilience

The long beginning

New Orleans produced beloved moments but no winning season in its first two decades, turning loyalty itself into the franchise's defining trait.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

1967—1986

02▼

Franchise era

1987—1999

02
NOJACKSON—Rickey Jackson
NOMILLS51Sam Mills
NOSWILLING56Pat Swilling

Linebacker defense delivers the first winners

The Dome Patrol

Jim Mora's defense sent four linebackers to the Pro Bowl and ended the franchise's wait for winning seasons and playoff football.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

1987—1999

03▼

Franchise era

2000—2005

03
NOBROOKS2Aaron Brooks
NOHORN87Joe Horn
NOMCALLISTER26Deuce McAllister

A breakthrough gives way to displacement

The first playoff win and Katrina

New Orleans won its first playoff game before Hurricane Katrina forced the team across multiple home fields and placed its future in doubt.

Read the era story →

Chapter 03

2000—2005

04▼

Franchise era

2006—2011

04
NOBREES9Drew Brees
NOCOLSTON12Marques Colston
NOEVANS73Jahri Evans

An offense and a city rise together

Brees, Payton and rebirth

The blocked punt in the Superdome reopening began an emotional run that culminated in the franchise's first championship after the 2009 season.

Read the era story →

Chapter 04

2006—2011

05▼

Franchise era

2012—2016

05
NOBREES9Drew Brees
NOJORDAN94Cameron Jordan
NOGRAHAM80Jimmy Graham

Brees keeps producing through defensive collapse

Historic offense, incomplete teams

New Orleans remained one of football's most prolific passing teams but three straight 7–9 seasons forced a major roster reset.

Read the era story →

Chapter 05

2012—2016

06▼

Franchise era

2017—2020

06
NOBREES9Drew Brees
NOKAMARA41Alvin Kamara
NOJORDAN94Cameron Jordan

A brilliant draft restores balance

One last contender

A deep young core won four straight division titles, though the Minneapolis Miracle and a controversial NFC title-game loss defined its closest chances.

Read the era story →

Chapter 06

2017—2020

07

Franchise era

2021—present

07
NOKAMARA41Alvin Kamara
NODAVIS56Demario Davis
NOOLAVE12Chris Olave

Veteran continuity meets an overdue reset

After Brees and Payton

The championship partnership ended and New Orleans began navigating the difficult transition from an aging, aggressively financed roster.

Read the era story →

Chapter 07

2021—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five New Orleans Saints games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
2017
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
MINNESOTAVIKINGS
JAN 14, 2018

Saints vs Vikings

Jan 14, 2018

#02 · Wild Card

Wild Card
1991
ATLANTAFALCONS
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
1991-12-28

Atlanta Falcons vs New Orleans Saints

1991-12-28

#03 · Wild Card

Wild Card
2000
ST. LOUISRAMS
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
2000-12-30

St. Louis Rams vs New Orleans Saints

2000-12-30

#04 · Super Bowl

Super Bowl
XLIV
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
INDIANAPOLISCOLTS
2010-02-07

New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts

2010-02-07

#05 · Wild Card

Wild Card
2013
NEW ORLEANSSAINTS
PHILADELPHIAEAGLES
2014-01-04

New Orleans Saints vs Philadelphia Eagles

2014-01-04

Season history

Every season

60 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

959 total · loaded 10 at a time