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PRE-GAME ENTERTAINMENT
Color Guard Louisiana National Guard
American Flag Unveiling Saints Season Ticket Holders
Saints Flags Unveiling Saints Season Ticket Holders
NATIONAL ANTHEM RAY BOUDREAUX
Ray Boudreaux is a soul singer/songwriter from South Louisiana who finished in the top Seven on Season Five of NBC's The Voice. Ray's debut EP, "First Train," reached the number two slot on ITunes Singer-Songwriter charts. Since First Train's release, Ray has been traveling doing shows with the likes of Hootie and the Blowfish, Edwin McCain, Sister Hazel, The Spin Doctors, Philip Bailey (Earth, Wind, and Fire), and Jason Scheff (Chicago), to name a few. He also enjoys donating his time to various charities across the country, entertaining guests at charity/celebrity golf tournaments such as Monday After Masters.
CHAMPIONS SQUARE ENTERTAINMENT
NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS
The New Orleans Suspects have been tearing up the festival and club circuits for the past 13 years. This New Orleans supergroup has been laying down its swampified brand of rock and roll throughout North America at a feverish pace. Their music combines irresistibly tight funk, soulful horns, Americana-based rhythm and blues, and a pinch of jam band to create a uniquely funky groove. The group brings together some of the best, most highly respected players in New Orleans, including Edward Christmas (John Cleary), Bradley Walker on saxophone (Sturgill Simpson, George Porter Jr); Jake Eckert on guitar/vocals (Dirty Dozen BrassBand); CR Gruver on keyboards/vocals (Polytoxic, Outformation); and Eric Vogel on bass (North Mississippi Allstars, Fred Wesley). The Suspects have released five critically acclaimed albums since 2010. Over the years The Suspects have recorded and performed with such artists as The New Mastersounds, Dr. John, Leftover Salmon, Little Feat, Widespread Panic, Bill Kreutzmann, Col. Bruce Hampton and many others. This has helped the Suspects bring a piece of New Orleans musical heritage to music fans around the globe.
50% Of the Proceeds of today’s 50/50 Raffle will benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, a 501c3 organization that provides food assistance, advocacy, education, and disaster response in South Louisiana. Tickets can be purchased through the end of the third quarter at the Caesars Superdome or at Saints5050raffle.com
IN-GAME ENTERTAINMENT
Gumbo
Sir Saint Storyville Jazz Band
Saints Cheer Krewe
HALFTIME
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
People’s Health Champion
Entergy Lineman: Powering Saints Nation
Community Coffee Military Moment
The St. Augustine Marching One Hundred are excited to be back performing at Caesars Superdome, this time, alongside the talented Tonya Boyd-Cannon. This collaborative performance will highlight the soulful vocals of Boyd-Cannon, who boasts a rare contralto voice, with the visually appealing precision drill and melodies of St. Augustine.
TONYA BOYD-CANNON
A recent graduate from Tulane University with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Black American Music, Louisiana-raised Tonya Boyd-Cannon was a finalist on Season 8 on NBC’s The Voice. She has performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Colombia’s Mompox Jazz Festival, to name a few. Boyd-Cannon’s voice leaves a musical presence on your heart, mind and soul.
ST. AUGUSTINE MARCHING 100 BAND
Under the direction of Ray Johnson, Sr., The GRAMMY Award-winning St. Augustine High School Marching 100 has performed for five (5) consecutive U.S. presidents, and Pope John Paul, II. Most recently, the band was the focal point of EBONY Magazine’s three-part docuseries, entitled “The Road to Normandy,” which documented their participation in the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landings in Normandy, France.
LEGEND OF THE GAME C JOEL HILGENBERG
Hilgenberg returns to New Orleans to be honored by the team and fans prior to a pivitol NFC contest crucial to the club’s postseason hopes. Hilgenberg, who played in 142 games for the team from 1984-93 with 97 starts is no stranger to the old NFC West battles between the Saints and Rams. Selected in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft (94th overall) out of Iowa. He made up for his lack of size with exceptional smarts and technique, despite playing at 250 pounds. Hilgenberg manned the middle for the first four of the club’s playoff teams and was selected to his first Pro Bowl after the 1992 season, a campaign where the offensive line gave up only 15 sacks, a franchise-low at the time and the lowest total in the league that season for the 12-4 Saints. Hilgenberg was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2006. After retiring from football, Hilgenberg became an offensive quality control coach for the Green Bay Packers in 2011 and an assistant offensive line coach from 2012-13 before retiring from coaching in 2014. Hilgenberg and his wife Jeanie, live in Iowa City, Iowa, and have one daughter, Anna. He is also active in the community in supporting the activities of the Aiming for a Cure Foundation, an organization built upon a foundation of committed people with a great passion to help children and their families who suffer from various forms of cancer.
SAINTS GIVE BACK FOR THANKSGIVING
On November 12, numerous members of the New Orleans Saints were heavily active in the local community, providing both encouragement and important donations to those less fortunate.
Saints players hosted their annual Thanksgiving turkey giveaway at Dryades YMCA. The team provided turkeys and fixing purchased from Rouses Markets to hundreds in need and gave families the opportunity to meet some of their favorite players during the annual holiday event.
S Tyrann Mathieu enlisted teammates, members of the Saints Cheer Krewe, staff and volunteers from his Tyrann Mathieu Foundations passing out turkeys and Thanksgiving meals drive-thru style to local families as part of his annual holiday giving event, Tyrann’s Turkeys. The 2023 team nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year award assisted 300 local families for the ninth year, his third straight year he was actively able to participate as a member of the Saints.
Gayle Benson provides leadership for the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans. She succeeds her husband, Tom Benson, who passed away on March 15, 2018, after serving as Owner of the Saints since 1985 and the Pelicans since 2012. The New Orleans native is an accomplished business professional and philanthropist with strong ties to the local community and is dedicated to contributing to the growth and enhancement of the Gulf South region.
Mr. and Mrs. Benson worked together to build model NFL and NBA organizations, housed in stateof-the-art facilities at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, Caesars Superdome and Smoothie King Center, while making a positive impact in the community.
With the Saints franchise under the guidance of Mr. and Mrs. Benson, the team has reached new heights since 2006, when they entrusted Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis to set the direction for the organization. Since then, the franchise has reached its highest point of success, posting a 184-124 record from 2006-23, featuring 11 winning seasons, nine playoff berths, seven division titles, three NFC Championship appearances and the Super Bowl XLIV title.
In Mrs. Benson’s first six full seasons of ownership, New Orleans has posted five winning campaigns, three consecutive NFC South division titles (2018-20) and reached the 2018 NFC Championship game. No NFC team has matched the Saints’ 33 regular season road victories from 2018-23. Their 63 regular season wins are first in the NFC during the six-season period. 15 different Saints players have received a combined 32 Pro Bowl selections and nine separate players over the past six seasons have received Associated Press All-Pro honors.
The Caesars Superdome completed a five-year, $560 million, multi-phase transformation for the 2024 season, as it retains its standing as one of the world’s most iconic multipurpose facilities on the eve of hosting Super Bowl LIX on February 9, 2025. Home contests played at the facility have been sold out on a season ticket basis for every campaign since 2006, with a waiting list of over 73,000 and 182 consecutive sellouts
GAYLE BENSON OWNER
for contests played at the venue through the 2023 campaign. The team’s Ochsner Sports Performance Center, one of the most cutting edge practice facilities in the NFL, just completed a one-year transformation project, featuring the construction a brand-new cafeteria and renovation of the draft room and weight room.
Following in the footsteps of her late husband, who played a significant role in the City of New Orleans hosting five Super Bowls during his ownership and wielded extensive influence and respect among fellow NFL owners with a 25-year tenure as Chairman of the Finance Committee, Mrs. Benson has become instrumental with her leadership in important league issues, serving on the Audit, Business Ventures and Hall of Fame Committees, as well as the Social Justice Working Group. She served as a key voice in securing New Orleans’ bid to host Super Bowl LIX, which will mark the 11th time the Crescent City will serve as a host, tying with Miami for the most Super Bowls by a host city. The economic impact of Super Bowl XLVII, played in 2013, which Mr. Benson successfully campaigned for, was $480 million for the greater New Orleans region, not to mention the exposure and charitable contributions that the National Football League makes during Super Bowl week that extends for generations. Mrs. Benson remains committed to bringing future Super Bowls to New Orleans.
Immediately upon Mr. and Mrs. Benson’s purchase of the former Hornets franchise from the NBA in 2012, construction began on a state-of-the-art basketball practice facility to house the entire organization together, while also rebranding as the Pelicans. Through agreements with the State of Louisiana upon the 2012 purchase, the Smoothie King Center has seen renovations, featuring a new center-hung HD scoreboard, which debuted in 2015, along with several additional fan upgrades. Through this commitment, NBA All-Star Weekend was awarded to New Orleans in 2014 and 2017, making the city one of just seven current NBA markets to host the mid-season event at least three times. Active in league affairs, Mrs. Benson, serves as a member of the NBA’s Labor Relations Committee and was named to the NBA Foundation Board of Directors in 2020. As a board member, she is constantly an advocate for the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana. Since her 2020 addition, distributions by the foundation have benefited numerous deserving New Orleans nonprofits.
Mrs. Benson oversaw a significant overhaul of the Pelicans in 2019 when she hired Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin and committed to significant upgrades to the Ochsner Sports Performance Center’s basketball
facilities. Through the support of these organizational improvements by Mrs. Benson, combined with several important player acquisitions through the draft, free agency and trades and the hiring of Head Coach Willie Green, the Pelicans have established a solid foundation, reaching the 2023-24 playoffs.
Community investment and giving back have been hallmarks of Mr. and Mrs. Benson’s ownership of the Saints and Pelicans. This tradition continues under Mrs. Benson’s stewardship, sharing her late husband’s vision and passion for helping others. She has further enriched the New Orleans community through her support to causes in the health and wellness, cancer care, education, arts and faith-based sectors.
As dedicated corporate citizens, the Saints and Pelicans annually put millions of dollars back into the community in financial support, in-kind donations, charitable appearances and donations of goods and services. Mrs. Benson’s philanthropic leadership has been recognized far and wide since becoming Owner.
Mrs. Benson has always quickly responded and taken action to conditions that affect the local community adversely. With the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida providing multiple challenges to the New Orleans area and its citizens over a two-year period, Mrs. Benson donated over $2 million, partnering with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to assist local organizations and individuals in need to help the region and its residents recover from difficult circumstances. In 2020, utilizing the platform of the Saints and Pelicans to harness the unifying power of sport to advance race relations across both the Gulf South and the country, she formed the Social Justice Leadership Alliance to advocate for issues of change in minority communities.
In 2014, Mrs. Benson was honored by the New Orleans Council for Community and Justice with its Weiss Award, recognizing achievement for exceptional civic and humanitarian contributions. In 2015, the couple were honored by the regional chapter of the Anti-Defamation League with the A.I. Botnick Torch of Liberty Award. In 2018, she and Mr. Benson (posthumously) were honored by two of the city’s leading higher education institutions. They received a Dermot McGlinchey Lifetime Achievement Award from Tulane University, honoring those who have demonstrated service, volunteer involvement and commitment to Tulane and their hometown communities and were inducted into the University of New Orleans’ Hall of Distinction.
In 2019, Mrs. Benson received several important honors. She was honored by Xavier University of Louisiana with the Sister Maris Stella “Women of Faith” Award and was recognized by the UNCF with the group’s
MASKED Award for her support of educational opportunities for all. Additionally, Mrs. Benson was honored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation/College Football Hall of Fame with its Distinguished American Award. The National World War II Museum selected her as an American Spirit Medallion recipient. The Greater New Orleans Foundation also honored Mrs. Benson with the organization’s Spark Plug Award, given to an individual whose philanthropy in the greater New Orleans community has been exemplary.
In 2021, Mrs. Benson was presented by the University of Holy Cross with its Spes Unica Award, the educational institution’s highest honor, based on her support of the university’s mission to educate both the mind and heart. She was the Times-Picayune’s 2021 Loving Cup award winner, an honor which has been presented since 1901 to men and women who have performed exemplary service to the community without expecting material recognition.
In 2022, Mrs. Benson was recognized by the local charity, Clover, as a co-recipient of the Reverend Beverley Warner Ward, for her extensive work with the non-profit whose mission is to educate children, strengthen families and build community. Mrs. Benson was honored by the American Cancer Society’s Louisiana Chapter with their 2022 Heart & Soul Award for her constant support in the fight against cancer through the services provided to cancer patients, families and caregivers at Ochsner’s Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center. She was also recognized by the Southeast Louisiana Council, Boy Scouts of America with their 2022 “Distinguished Citizen” Award. In 2023, Mrs. Benson was honored as a “Louisiana Legend” by Louisiana Public Broadcasting for distinguishing herself in the sports field and through her philanthropy. Realizing the need for the commitment to people with disabilities by her sports organizations and business ventures, whether enhancing their fan experience or providing employment opportunities/support, she was selected for the 2023 Human Highlight Never Moment Award by the KultureCity organization. With Mrs. Benson’s encouragement, the Saints became a founding partner of the HBCU Legacy Bowl all-star game held in New Orleans, establishing financial support for the contest and its week of events, which includes hosting a scouting combine for participants at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center and a career fair for both players and HBCU students. The career fair attracts over 100 regional and national employers to help provide opportunities and networking for HBCU students. In recognition of her support of the events, Mrs. Benson received the 2023 Black College Football Hall of Fame Founders Award. Mrs. Benson was also inducted into the Louisiana Center for Women in Government & Business (LCWGB) Hall of Fame alongside former Louisiana first lady, Donna Edwards. Mrs. Benson also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the LCWGB, which recognized her remarkable achievements in business and her unwavering generosity toward various causes across the state of Louisiana.
In 2024, at Washington Mardi Gras, Mrs. Benson received the Humanitarian of the Century Award from U.S. Senator John Kennedy, which recognized
her continuous philanthropic efforts throughout New Orleans, the state of Louisiana, and the Gulf South region. In November Mrs. Benson along with Mr. Benson posthumously were inducted into the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation Hall of Fame.
In addition to serving on the boards of several local educational institutions and the New Orleans Museum of Art, Mrs. Benson is also a member of the Audubon Commission, which oversees the Audubon Nature Institute.
Mrs. Benson has been a longtime trusted and valued member of the local Catholic community, reflecting her deep religious faith. She has worked tirelessly with the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Catholic Charities organization and its umbrella agencies that feature almost 50 programs and three affiliated ministries. These organizations deliver health and human services to those in need in the eight Southeast Louisiana parishes, which the Archdiocese serves, as well as food and nutrition services throughout the state. Mrs. Benson has worked closely with St. Louis Cathedral’s Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. Currently, she is in the midst of leading an unprecedented effort to repair and restore the St. Louis Cathedral with the Our City, Our Cathedral campaign, which aims to restore the city’s most iconic building after suffering from nearly two centuries of wear and tear, water damage and settling. Mrs. Benson’s support of the Catholic Church has been recognized numerous times locally, nationally and on an international level. In 2002, she received the Medal of the Order of St. Louis Award for dedication to the Church. In 2010, she became an Honorary Oblate of Mary Immaculate and in recognition of longstanding support of Catholic education, Mr. and Mrs. Benson received the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA). In 2012, Mr. and Mrs. Benson received from Pope Benedict XVI the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award, which recognizes outstanding service to the Church and the Pontiff, the highest Papal award granted to a lay person. She holds a leadership role after being inducted as Dame Commander with Star in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem and is a commander of the Order of St. Lazarus, a confraternity of Christian faithful who profess their commitment to Jesus Christ. In February, she was recognized by FADICA, the leading Catholic philanthropic network of foundations and donors supporting Catholic activities and initiatives, with the Mary Magdalene Medal of Service, which recognizes someone who shares their time, talent and treasure with the Church. She was also the recipient of the Catholic Community Foundation's 2024 St. John Paul II Award, a prestigious honor presented by the Archbishop and the foundation to an outstanding Catholic layperson who exhibits unwavering faith, inspirational generosity, and a deep commitment to the New Orleans community.
Mrs. Benson began her professional career in 1968 as a manager for a noted New York-based jeweler. She was responsible for overseeing and managing the daily operation of over 40 sales associates. She then branched out into real estate development, which allowed her to successfully integrate her passion for interior design with property management. Her first real estate transaction
occurred in 1978 when she purchased a home in New Orleans’s Irish Channel and then sold the property eight months later after extensive restoration. She would go on to purchase, manage and eventually sell numerous properties, primarily in the city’s Uptown district.
In 1975, Mrs. Benson began a 30-year design industry career where she achieved tremendous success. Throughout the course of her interior design career, she was recognized with numerous professional awards and served as an inaugural member on the Louisiana State Board of Licensing for Interior Designers for four years. She directed numerous major design efforts with her clients, including the Caesars Superdome (formerly Louisiana Superdome and Mercedes-Benz Superdome), several of the city’s most prestigious hotels, local supermarket chains, automobile dealerships, yachts and many others.
In 2000, Mrs. Benson worked with the Superdome on renovations to the iconic New Orleans landmark’s third and fourth level public spaces, in addition to renovations on select suites. She also owned and developed a commercial real estate building on the corner of Laura and Octavia Streets, a women’s clothing private enterprise called “Toujours la Ligne” and a designer’s showroom called “Designers Resource” which served as a wholesale location for designers and architects seeking to purchase fabric, wall coverings and accessories. The Men of Fashion Committee recognized Mrs. Benson as one of the “Ten Best Dressed Women in New Orleans” in 1983. In addition to her ownership of the Saints and Pelicans, Mrs. Benson established GMB Racing Stables in 2014 with an initial purchase of seven colts and hiring three veteran trainers, all with Louisiana ties. In 2016, two of the thoroughbreds, Mo Tom and Tom’s Ready, participated in the Kentucky Derby. Another thoroughbred, Lone Sailor, ran in the 2018 Kentucky Derby and Preakness. She owns Benson Farm in Paris, Ky., a 1,000-acre farm with nearly 50 horses. As part of her passion for horse racing, she is a member of the esteemed Jockey Club of New York. Mrs. Benson also serves as Owner of seven automotive dealerships (Best Chevrolet, Cadillac of New Orleans, Mercedes-Benz of New Orleans, Mercedes-Benz Van Center, Mercedes-Benz of South Mississippi, Porsche New Orleans, Volkswagen of South Mississippi, Infiniti of South Mississippi), three premier collision centers across Mississippi and Louisiana, Benson Tower, Benson Capital Partners, Corporate Realty and is also a co-owner of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans.
Mrs. Benson was born in New Orleans and grew up in the Old Algiers section of the city. She began her education in Catholic schools and in 1966 graduated from Martin Behrman High School in Algiers. She received a Doctorate of Letters from Notre Dame Seminary in 2014. Serving as keynote speaker at their respective commencement ceremonies, Mrs. Benson has been awarded honorary degrees from University of Holy Cross (2015), Southern University of New Orleans (2021), Delgado Community College (2022) and an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Loyola University New Orleans (2019).
Mr. and Mrs. Benson married on October 29, 2004 at the Immaculate Conception Memorial Chapel.
In his 32nd year of coaching, his 16th in the National Football League and sixth with the Saints, Darren Rizzi was named interim head coach of the New Orleans Saints on November 4, 2024. Rizzi has coordinated highly successful special teams units for the Miami Dolphins (2010-18) and Saints (2019-present). He also added assistant head coach responsibilities in 2022 in New Orleans and also had associate head coach duties in Miami from 2017-18.
Rizzi’s units have ranked in the top half of NFL writer Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings in 12 of the 13 full years that he has served as a coordinator, including first in 2019, fifth in both 2020 and 2021 and second in 2023. Since he entered the NFL coaching ranks in 2009, seven special teams players have been named to eight Pro Bowls under his tutelage. Rizzi has also coached six players to the NFL All-Rookie team in the past ten years.
Over his Saints coaching career, Rizzi’s work on special teams have made the kicking game an integral part of New Orleans’ success since 2019. On coverage units, J.T. Gray’s 81 tackles rank first in the NFL. The punting game has produced the top three seasons in club history for punts inside-the20-yard line. Since 2019, the Saints have excelled in the return game. Over the five-and-a-half season period, the team ranks seventh in the NFL in punt return average (10.3) and second in punt return touchdowns (3). The coverage units have allowed the third-lowest punt return average (7.1).
Last season, New Orleans finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in 13-of-22 special teams categories, leading or sharing the lead in five of them and finishing second in two others. New Orleans finished first in the league in opponent punt return average (5.6), while giving their defense the second-best starting point after kickoffs (24.2). Second-year WR/RS Rashid Shaheed was selected as a Pro Bowl starter as a return specialist and as an Associated Press first-team All-Pro punt returner, ranking third in the NFL in punt return average (13.6) with a 76-yard touchdown, the third-longest return in franchise history. Youth was served, as a total of nine rookies
DARREN RIZZI
INTERIM HEAD COACH
PLAYING CAREER: Rhode Island, 1989-92.
COACHING CAREER: Colgate, 1993; New Haven, 1994-97; Northeastern, 1998; New Haven (Head Coach), 1999-2001; Rutgers, 2002-07; Rhode Island (Head Coach),2008; Miami Dolphins, 2009-18; New Orleans Saints, 2019- (Interim Head Coach, 2024).
or first-year players contributed to the Saints special teams, including K Blake Grupe and LB Nephi Sewell. Grupe set the club rookie record with 30 field goals, led the team with 130 points and ranked third in the NFL with 76 touchbacks. Sewell recorded five coverage stops and forced a fumble by the punter in Week 14 that was recovered for a touchdown.
In 2022, the Saints special teams units delivered another productive season. After a seasonending toe injury suffered by Deonte Harty, Shaheed had a 9.7 average on 20 punt returns as a rookie. Despite missing three contests, Gray led the Saints with 12 coverage stops. P Blake Gillikin had a team-record 32 punts inside-the-20.
In 2021, Gray received his first career selection as a Pro Bowl starter after leading the NFL with 19 special teams tackles and was an AP first-team All-Pro. LB Andrew Dowell, in his first full NFL season, tied for fifth in the league with 14 coverage stops and blocked a punt. In his first season handling punting duties, 29 of Gillikin’s punts were downed inside the 20-yard line, ranked fourth in the NFL and tying a team record at the time. The Saints special teams unit ranked fourth in the NFL in opponent average starting position after kickoffs (24.1-yard line) and eighth in punt return average (10.0).
In 2020, Rizzi fielded a unit that ranked first in opponent punt return average (2.3), second in opponent kickoff return average (17.2), sixth in kickoff return average (25.4 avg.) and ninth in punt return average (10.2 avg.), while ranking third in opponent average starting position after kickoffs (23.8-yard line) and ninth in average starting position after kickoffs (25.9-yard line). Harty had a 12.2 punt return average and 27.3 kickoff return average.
In his first season with New Orleans in 2019, Rizzi worked with a unit that rose to first in Gosselin’s rankings, featuring standout performances from Harty, K Wil Lutz, P Thomas Morstead and Gray. For the first time in franchise history, two special teams players were selected to the AP All-Pro team (Gray and Harty) and for the second time two were selected to the Pro Bowl (Harty and
Lutz). An undrafted free agent, Harty ranked in the top five in the NFL in kickoff and punt return average. Lutz set a team record by drilling 32 field goals, ranking second in the NFL in scoring (144 points), PATs (48) and touchbacks (career-high 74) and third in field goals. Morstead ranked fifth in the NFL in net punting average (43.1), was named the September NFC Special Teams Player of the Month and twice was selected conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Gray led the Saints with 16 coverage stops, blocked a punt and recovered a fumble on coverage.
The 2018 Dolphins graded out fourth in the NFL in Gosselin’s rankings. Jason Sanders drilled 18-of20 (90.0 pct.) field goal attempts and was a PFWA All-Rookie selection, one of only four kickers to kick in all of his team’s games and miss just two or fewer field goals and one of only four to miss three or fewer kicks. His 90.0 field goal percentage was ranked eighth in the NFL and fifth-best in Dolphins history. Matt Haack’s 35 punts downed inside the 20 ranked fifth in the NFL. Miami was ninth in the NFL in punt return average (10.5 avg.) with Jakeem Grant leading the league (16.3) before being placed on Injured Reserve in Week 13.
The 2017 Dolphins were tied for second in the NFL with three blocked kicks – two field goals and one punt. Cody Parkey tied what was a team field goal percentage record by converting 21-of-23 attempts (91.3 pct.), including a 54-yard game-winner, the longest game-winner in team history. He also successfully converted four onside kicks, the most in NFL history since records date back to 1997. Miami’s kickoff coverage unit was the best in the NFL, forcing opponents to start on average at their own 23-yard line. The team graded out at No. 11 in Gosselin’s rankings and Pro Football Focus ranked the team’s special teams No. 6 in the NFL. S Michael Thomas was named PFF’s Special Teamer of the Year and led the Dolphins with 11 coverage tackles.
Miami ranked seventh in Gosselin’s rankings in 2016, led the league in opponent gross punting average (41.8) and tied for the NFL lead with four blocked kicks. Andrew Franks made his first two career game-winning field goals and drilled
an important 55-yarder at Buffalo (Dec. 24) as the field goal unit was rushing onto the field to tie the score and send the contest to overtime. The eventual Dolphins win solidified the team’s first playoff berth since 2008. Grant and KR Kenyan Drake each had touchdown returns, becoming the second Dolphins rookie tandem and fourth NFL rookie duo to return a punt and kickoff for a touchdown in the same season. Thomas tied for the NFL lead in special teams tackles (19, including a league-best 16 solo). Walt Aikens scored the first two-point defensive conversion in team history after he returned a blocked PAT for two points. The team finished in the top ten in several additional special teams units including opponents starting field position following a kickoff (tenth/24.4 yard line), own starting field position following a kickoff (eighth/25.3 yard line) and opponent net punting average (third/37.4 yards per punt).
In 2015, WR Jarvis Landry earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his Week One performance, when he returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown. Landry ranked fourth in the NFL with 356 punt return yards. Matt Darr posted the fourth-best gross punting average (47.6) in team history and earned NFL All-Rookie team honors as his punting average was third in the league. Franks was 13-for-16 in field goal attempts as a rookie. The Dolphins ranked in the top 10 in five special teams categories.
In 2014, Rizzi guided a special teams unit that set the team record with three blocked punts. They also added two blocked field goals, giving Miami five blocked kicks, the most since the team blocked seven in 1977. Explosive plays were not limited to the block units as Landry won October AFC Special Teams Player of the Month when he returned five kickoffs for 178 yards (35.6 avg.), with a long of 54. The 35.6 average kickoff return was the second-highest in the NFL in October and the highest October
average in franchise history. Landry finished the season with a 28.1 kick return average, the fourthhighest in the NFL and tops among rookies.
In 2013, for the third-straight season, Dolphins special teams were rated among the top eight units in the NFL based on Gosselin’s annual rankings. Miami was one of three teams to remain in the top 10 (along with Baltimore and Seattle) in both the 2013 and 2012 rankings. Additionally, from 2011-13, only Miami and Seattle were ranked in the top 10. Rizzi’s units were highlighted by the play of P Brandon Fields, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth. Fields ranked second in the NFL in gross punting average (48.8), second in net average (42.4, which was eighth-best in NFL history at the time), tied for fourth with 33 punts inside the 20-yard line and also recorded the third-longest punt (74 yards) during the season as he was selected to the Pro Bowl.
The 2012 campaign was built off a strong 2011 season for Dolphins special teams. Gosselin ranked Miami as the NFL’s fourth-best special teams unit, making the Dolphins the only team in the NFL to rank in the top five in both 2012 and 2011, following a second place finish in 2011. Fields continued to establish himself as one of the most productive punters in NFL history, leading the league with a 50.2 average, while moving into first place in team history for highest career punting average (46.4), highest-career net punting average (38.7) and second place in NFL history for highest-career punting average (46.4). Marcus Thigpen became the first player in team history to return a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns in the same season. Thigpen also stood alone as the only player in the NFL to rank in the top five in kickoff return average (27.4) and punt return average (12.2). Additionally, Miami became the first NFL team in the last 20 years to block a field goal, block a punt and recover their own onside kick in the same game.
After Rizzi took over the special teams in Week Five of the 2010 season, the Dolphins improved in almost every major statistical special teams category, including net and gross punting average, punt and kickoff return average, average drive start and opponent’s gross and net punting average. He led an impressive 2011 campaign by the Dolphins special teams. The Dolphins showed the biggest improvement of any NFL special teams unit from 2010 to 2011 according to Gosselin’s annual report. The improvement saw the Dolphins jump from their 2010 ranking of 24th in the NFL to second in 2011. The 22-place advancement was aided by K Dan Carpenter’s 13-of-16 in field goals from 40 yards and beyond and Fields’ net punting average of 41.1 yards. Rizzi joined the Dolphins with four years of experience as a college head coach, including 2008 at the University of Rhode Island. Prior to taking over the program at URI, Rizzi was an assistant at Rutgers for the previous six seasons (2002-07), where he headed up the Scarlet Knights’ special teams units. He also tutored the team’s running backs his first three years and the linebackers his final three. In addition, he held the title of assistant head coach from 2004-06 and associate head coach in 2007. In Rizzi’s six years at Rutgers, he coached three players who earned firstteam All-Big East honors in special teams including kick returner Nate Jones (2002), kick/punt returner Willie Foster (2005) and punter Joe Radigan (2006). Jones also was named the conference’s co-Special Teams Player of the Year in 2002 while Foster was the Big East Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005.
Before his Rutgers stint, Rizzi was head coach at the University of New Haven, where he guided the Chargers to a three-year record of 15-14 from 1999-2001. He was the special teams and linebackers coach at Northeastern University in 1998. He coached at New Haven from 1994-97, where he was defensive coordinator in his final year, after overseeing the special teams and defensive line his first three. Rizzi began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Colgate in 1993.
Rizzi played tight end at Rhode Island, where he first walked on in 1988. He went on to tally 160 receptions for 2,426 yards (15.2 avg.) and 15 touchdowns in his collegiate career and was a consensus All-American in 1992. He was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles prior to beginning his coaching career.
A native of Hillsdale, N.J. and graduate of Bergen Catholic High School, Rizzi earned a degree in speech communications from URI in 1992. In 2013, he was inducted into the Bergen Catholic Hall of Fame. A two-sport high school star, he concluded his prep football career with 69 receptions, a school record which stood for 22 years, also excelling as an All-League outfielder for the baseball team.
He and his wife, Tracey, have two daughters, Mackenzie and Alexandra, and three sons, Christian, Casey and Cameron.
Dennis Lauscha, a native New Orleanian, has been a fan of the Saints since he was a young boy. He attended Jesuit High School and received degrees in Business, first from the University of Alabama, followed by an M.B.A. from Loyola University. Starting out his career as a C.P.A, Lauscha worked for a major global financial services firm before his decades long career with the Saints. He first joined the Saints in 1998 as Treasurer, and as a result of his hard work, loyalty and business acumen, Lauscha rose through the executive ranks to serve as Vice President, Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President before reaching his now esteemed post as President of both the Saints and Pelicans since 2012. In his role, he oversees the club’s financial operations, government affairs, marketing, ticket and suite sales, legal, stadium, community affairs, human resources, business intelligence and information technology and serves as a representative for both clubs at NFL and NBA Owners meetings.
In addition to his Saints and Pelicans duties, Lauscha holds multiple roles within Mrs. Benson’s business enterprises, maintaining a role in the management of her regional automotive dealerships and collision centers, Corporate Realty, GMB Racing, and Benson Capital Partners.
Lauscha’s collaborative style, financial acumen and long-term view has played a key role as a member of a contingent that has ne-
gotiated agreements for both the Saints and Pelicans with the state of Louisiana. These have resulted in long-term lease agreements, continuous improvements to their playing and practice facilities, revitalization of the areas around them and generated revenue for the state without any new taxes for citizens.
Lauscha currently serves as a member of the Business Council of New Orleans & the River Region, as a board member of the Audubon Nature Institute, Loyola University, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and as a trustee of the National World War II Museum. His professional and charitable work was recognized by New Orleans CityBusiness, when he was selected as one of the 40 Most Influential Members of the Community.
In 2010, he was named the Alumnus of the Year by Loyola’s College of Business and was named to the Class of Role Models by the Young Leadership Council. He was honored by the Sugar Bowl Chapter of the National Football Foundation with its 2014 Distinguished American Award. In 2016, he was inducted into the Order of West Range for the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation. He was honored as a 2019 Laureate of Junior Achievement’s Greater New Orleans chapter and as Chairman of the organization’s 2023 Business Hall of Fame. He was named 2022 Jesuit High School’s Alumnus of the Year. Most recently, he was honored as a 2024 Pillar of Scouting by Boy Scouts of America.
- EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/GENERAL MANAGER
Mickey Loomis is in his 23rd season in his current position and 25th with the Saints. The 37-year NFL front office veteran has been honored with some of the most prestigious awards presented to a league executive, yet his most satisfying career achievement has come in helping mold a roster that’s produced many of the franchise’s finest moments over the last 18 seasons, including the Super Bowl XLIV championship.
In 2006, after being the key figure in the hiring of Head Coach Sean Payton, the signing of Drew Brees and overseeing the rebuild of a team that would advance to the NFC Championship, Loomis was voted Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America NFL Executive of the Year. He was also honored as the The Sporting News George Young Executive of the Year, an award voted on annually by NFL front-office executives and owners.
Loomis has continued to build on the success of 2006, highlighted by 11 winning seasons, nine postseason appearances, seven division titles, three NFC Championship berths and the Super Bowl victory.
Over the past 22 years, he’s brought aboard a group of players who have played a key role in New Orleans posting a 203-152 regular season record through a combination of the draft, free agency and trades, while presiding over the club’s ability to re-sign their core play-
ers. He’s just the ninth person in the 105-year history of the NFL to oversee 200 regular season career wins as the official acting General Manager. Loomis has been a key figure in the highest management circle of the organization since arriving in 2000 as director of football administration, prior to his 2002 promotion. In 2005, Loomis helped steer the club through unprecedented challenges, calmly guided the staff and players through a sudden evacuation and multiple base of operations moves in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Loomis has overseen several renovations and facility upgrades at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center, giving the club one of the NFL’s top training complexes. In 2024, renovated weight room facilities and a new team cafeteria will debut.
Prior to arriving in New Orleans, Loomis spent 15 years with the Seattle Seahawks, including as executive vice president from 199298. He joined the Seahawks in 1983, was promoted to vice president/finance in 1990 and to executive vice president in 1992. The Eugene, Ore., native has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in sports administration from Wichita State.
Married to Melanie, Loomis has four children: Alex, Katherine, Sam and Lucy.
GREG ROUCHELL Senior Vice President of Human Resources
DENNIS LAUSCHA - PRESIDENT
BEN HALES
Senior Vice President of Marketing & Operations / Chief Operating Officer
ED LANG
Senior Vice President of Finance / Chief Financial Officer
VICKY NEUMEYER
Senior Vice President/ General Counsel
GREG BENSEL
Senior VP of Communications, Broadcast, Community Relations & Governmental Relations
MICHAEL STANFIELD
Senior Vice President of Sales
MICKEY LOOMIS
ENDS COACH
Clancy Barone enters his second season as the Saints tight ends coach after leading the unit to a successful 2023 campaign. Barone has 35 years of coaching experience, with his first 17 at the collegiate level and his last 18 in the NFL.
New Orleans is the sixth NFL stop for Barone, having previously coached either tight ends or offensive line with the Atlanta Falcons (2004-06), San Diego Chargers (2007-08), Denver Broncos (200916), Minnesota Vikings (2017-18) and Chicago Bears (2020-21) and Saints (2023-). As a tight ends coach, Barone has had four players voted to the Pro Bowl with four different teams: the Falcons’ Alge Crumpler, the Chargers’ Antonio Gates, the Broncos’ Julius Thomas and the Vikings’ Kyle Rudolph.
The Saints tight ends group was led by Juwan Johnson in 2023, and under Barone’s tutelage, he recorded 37 receptions for 359 yards with
John Benton, a 33-year veteran in the coaching ranks, including 19 in the NFL, enters his first season as offensive line coach with the New Orleans Saints. Of the NFL offensive lines he has directed since 2004, Benton’s units have finished in the top ten in the league in rushing yards per game seven times.
Benton spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons as the offensive line coach and run game coordinator of the New York Jets. In 2022, Benton’s position group showcased their depth and versatility as nine different starters formed seven different combinations, with the Jets improving their win total by three games. Before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week Seven, rookie running back Breece Hall shined behind the Jets offensive line, carrying 80 times for 463 yards (5.8 avg.) with four touchdowns and catching 19 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown.
RICK
- SENIOR OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT
Entering his 28th season of coaching in the NFL, Rick Dennison has been part of 13 playoff appearances, five division titles, and three Super Bowl victories. He served as offensive line coach/run game coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings from 2019-20 and as senior offensive advisor in 2021.
Dennison has consistently been a part of winning programs, the teams he has coached for posting a .500 or better record in 20 of his 27 NFL seasons and has been part of 12 seasons of ten or more wins. His 17 seasons in Denver resulted in three Super Bowl titles, eight playoff appearances, four AFC West titles and eight seasons of ten or more wins. Dennison has coached 18 different Pro Bowl players across seven different positions, including six offensive linemen. Of those six,
After serving as a training camp intern in 2022, Jahri Evans began his full-time coaching career in 2023 and enters his second season as an offensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
Evans was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft and spent the first 11 seasons of his 12-year playing career with the Saints. Overall, he started 183 career regular season games at right guard for the Saints (2006-16) and Green Bay Packers (2017), 169 for the Black and Gold. Evans also opened all ten Saints playoff games at his position. Evans was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a five-time AP All-Pro and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2010’s All-Decade Team, as New Orleans finished in the Top Ten in total offense each of the 11 seasons he lined up for the Saints, while the 196 sacks surrendered by the line over the period were the lowest in the NFC and second-lowest in the NFL. After being selected as a consensus AllRookie in 2006, Evans was a Pro Bowl starter and consensus first-team
four touchdowns, despite missing four games with a calf injury. Foster Moreau contributed as both a blocker and receiver with 21 grabs and one touchdown, while Jimmy Graham was a valuable red zone target with four touchdown catches.
Barone played on the offensive line at the University of Nevada and Sacramento State University, and holds a place in the Hornets Athletics Hall of Fame.
PLAYING CAREER: Nevada, 1983-84; Sacramento State, 1985-86.
COACHING CAREER: American River College, 1983-84; Sacramento State, 1991-92; Texas A&M, 1993; Eastern Illinois, 1994-96; University of Wyoming, 1997-99; University of Houston, 2000-02; Texas State University, 2003; Atlanta Falcons, 2004-06; San Diego Chargers, 2007-08; Denver Broncos, 2009-16; Minnesota Vikings, 2017-18; Chicago Bears, 2020-21; New Orleans Saints 2023–.
Entering the starting lineup in Week Five after recovering from an injury, left tackle Duane Brown did not give up a sack in 12 contests.
A four-year starter as an offensive lineman at Colorado State (1983-86), the Durango, Col., native earned honorable mention All-WAC honors during his junior and senior seasons, and was named conference All-Academic as a senior. In 1987, Benton had a stint on the Saints practice squad.
PLAYING CAREER: Colorado State, 1983-86.
COACHING CAREER: Colorado State, 1987-90 and 1995-2003; California University of Pennsylvania, 1990-94; St. Louis Rams, 2004-05; Houston Texans, 2006-13; Miami Dolphins, 2014-15; Jacksonville Jaguars, 2016; San Francisco 49ers, 2017-20; New York Jets, 202122; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
five made their first Pro Bowl appearance under him, while three made all their trips with him as their coach.
Undrafted out of Colorado State, Dennison played nine seasons at linebacker for the Broncos. At CSU, he earned three letters and was named a second-team Academic All-American as a senior. Dennison earned two degrees in civil engineering from CSU, first his bachelor’s in 1979 and later his master’s in 1982.
PLAYING CAREER: Colorado State, 1976, 1978-79; Denver Broncos, 1982-90.
COACHING CAREER: Suffield (Conn.) Academy, 1992-94; Denver Broncos, 1995-2009 and 2015-16; Houston Texans, 2010-13; Baltimore Ravens, 2014; Buffalo Bills, 2017; New York Jets, 2018; Minnesota Vikings, 2019-21; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
All-Pro each season from 2009-12. He was elected to the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, a finalist for the Class of 2024 and a semifinalist for the Class of 2025. Evans was inducted into the Saints Ring of Honor in November.
A three-year starter at Bloomsburg, which he originally attended on a combined academic/athletic scholarship, Evans anchored the left tackle position and was a finalist for the Division II Gene Upshaw Offensive Player of the Year Award in 2004 and 2005. The Philadelphia native graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and received his MBA from the University of Miami in Executive Business Administration. Evans and his wife, Takia, have two sons.
PLAYING CAREER: Bloomsburg, 2001-05; New Orleans Saints, 2006-16; Green Bay Packers, 2017.
COACHING CAREER: New Orleans Saints, 2023-.
DENNISON
CLANCY BARONE - TIGHT
JAHRI EVANS - OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT
JOHN BENTON - OFFENSIVE LINE COACH
DERRICK FOSTER - RUNNING BACKS COACH
Derrick Foster enters his first season with the New Orleans Saints as running backs coach after the 13-year coaching veteran spent his first three NFL campaigns in the same position with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Under the tutelage of Foster, Austin Ekeler totaled 44 regular-season scrimmage touchdowns (20 in 2021, 18 in 2022 and six in 2023), ranking first in the NFL over that span, and led the league in his first two seasons. Ekeler added a pair of rushing touchdowns in the 2022 AFC Wild Card Playoff at Jacksonville, making him the seventh player in NFL history to register back-to-back seasons with 20 touchdowns (regular and postseason combined). Ekeler’s 228 receptions for 1,805 yards with 14 touchdowns led NFL running backs in catches and
Phil Galiano enters his sixth season with the Saints as assistant special teams coach. Galiano is a veteran in the coaching ranks with 24 years of experience, including eight seasons in the NFL.
Galiano’s work with Darren Rizzi has made the kicking game an integral part of New Orleans’ success. On coverage units, J.T. Gray’s 65 tackles rank second in the NFL. The punting game has produced the top three seasons in club history for punts insidethe-20-yard line. Since 2019, the Saints have excelled in the return game. Over the five-season period, the team has been ranked sixth in the NFL in punt return average (10.1), while the coverage units have allowed the third-lowest punt return average (7.0). The special
Orleans after contributing on defense and special teams in 2010.
The Clovis, Calif., native was a fourth round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2005 out of California and enjoyed a nine-year NFL career with the Colts (2005-08), Green Bay Packers (2009), Saints (2010), Oakland Raiders (2011-12) and St. Louis Rams (2013), starting 30-of-116 career games, while accumulating 202 tackles, one sack, 11 interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns, 16 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, 52 special teams stops and one coverage fumble recovery. He also appeared in seven postseason games for the Colts and Packers, and was a member of Indianapolis’ Super Bowl XLI championship team.
Following his playing career, Giordano served as head coach at his high school alma mater, Buchanan High School in Clovis, where he
Peter Giunta (pronounced GEN-ta) enters his tenth season as a Saints senior defensive assistant in 2024. He’s a 45-year coaching veteran, including 33 years of experience in the NFL with three Super Bowl Championships.
In 2023, Giunta played an integral role in implementing the defensive scheme in the secondary along with secondary coach Marcus Robertson and defensive assistant Matt Giordano. As a team, the Saints forced 29 turnovers after recording only 14 in 2022, ranked fourth in the NFL. The team’s 18 interceptions, up from seven in 2022, were tied for third in the league, with 16 coming from the secondary. New Orleans led the NFL with 99 pass breakups, with three Saints ranked in the top 10. Under the guid -
receiving yardage over the three-season span under Foster’s tutelage, while tying for first in touchdown grabs.
Foster played running back and wide receiver at Southwest Baptist (Mo.). He started 41-of-44 career game appearances at wideout for the Bearcats and finished his career with 2,062 all-purpose yards. The Goshen, Ala., native graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management and went on to earn a master’s degree in public administration from Valdosta State in 2013.
PLAYING CAREER: Southwest Baptist, 2005-10.
COACHING CAREER: Valdosta State, 2011; Tennessee, 2012; Northwestern State (La.), 2013-15; Samford, 2016-17; Iowa, 2018-20; Los Angeles Chargers, 2021-23; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
teams units have not given up a touchdown since 2019.
A three-year starter at safety for Shippensburg, Galiano served as a tri-captain during his senior campaign. He helped lead the Raiders to consecutive winning seasons (1997-99). The Norristown, Pa., native graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
PLAYING CAREER: Shippensburg, 1996-99.
COACHING CAREER: Dickinson, 2000; New Haven, 2001; Villanova, 2002; Rutgers, 2003-06; Florida International, 2007-09; Rutgers, 2010-11; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2012-13; Rutgers, 2014-15; Miami Dolphins, 2016; Penn State, 2017-18; New Orleans Saints, 2019-.
of
In 2022, he served as a volunteer assistant at Fresno State.
Giordano played two years at the University of California after transferring from Fresno City College. He started 14-of-25 games at safety for Cal and posted 111 career tackles, four stops for a loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, six pass breakups and two interceptions. He was an honorable-mention All-America selection and first-team All-Pac-10 honoree in 2004, when he totaled 61 tackles, 1.5 stops for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, six passes defensed and one interception. Giordano was inducted into the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.
PLAYING CAREER: Fresno City College, 2001-02; California, 2003-04; Indianapolis Colts, 2005-08; Green Bay Packers, 2009; New Orleans Saints, 2010; Oakland Raiders, 2011-12; St. Louis Rams, 2013. COACHING CAREER: Buchanan High School (Head Coach), 2016-21; Fresno State, 2022; New Orleans Saints, 2023-.
ance of Giunta, CB Paulson Adebo had a club-best six takeaways and ranked third in the NFL with 18 passes defensed. S Tyrann Mathieu tied for the team lead with Adebo with four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.
The Salem, Mass., native had a four-year playing career as a defensive back and running back at Northeastern (1974-44).
PLAYING CAREER: Northeastern, 1974-77.
COACHING CAREER: Swampscott (Mass.) High School, 1978-80; Penn State, 1981-83; Brown, 1984-87; Lehigh, 1988-90; Philadelphia Eagles, 1991-94; New York Jets, 1995-96; St. Louis Rams, 19972000; Kansas City Chiefs, 2001-05; New York Giants, 2006-14; New Orleans Saints, 2016–.
PETER GIUNTA - SENIOR DEFENSIVE ASSISTANT
Matt Giordano, a nine-year NFL veteran safety in the playing ranks, enters his second season as a defensive assistant with the Saints. This is his second stint in New
amassed a record
51-16.
MATT GIORDANO - DEFENSIVE ASSISTANT
PHIL GALIANO - ASSISTANT SPECIAL TEAMS COACH
Todd Grantham, a 34-year coaching veteran, is in his second season as the Saints’ defensive line coach. Grantham came to New Orleans after serving as an analyst at the University of Alabama in 2022. From 2018-21, He served as defensive coordinator at the University of Florida.
Grantham, who has extensive college and NFL experience, both along the front seven and as a defensive coordinator, fostered significant development and improvement out of some of New Orleans’ younger defenders. While defensive end Cameron Jordan continued to be the physical and emotional leader of the front four, Carl Granderson blossomed on the opposite side under Grantham’s tutelage with a career-high and team-best 8.5 sacks as part of a 78-tackle effort.
Bryan Bresee, the club’s first round pick, finished with 4.5 sacks and
Gristick’s responsibilities include producing self-scout breakdown reports, compilation of scouting reports, breakdown of Saints opponents, the organization of playbooks and assisting Linebackers Coach Michael Hodges with the position group during practice and in meetings.
Gristick came to New Orleans after serving on the coaching staff at Eastern Illinois University from 2018-22. His entire tenure in Charleston, he coached linebackers, adding the title of defensive game run coordinator in 2020. In 2022, he was promoted to defensive coordinator, while also continuing to coach the team’s linebackers.
Gristick came to Eastern Illinois after serving two seasons as an assis-
Michael Hodges enters his fifth season as linebackers coach. Hodges was originally hired by the Saints in the 2017 offseason as a defensive assistant and spent one season as assistant linebackers coach in 2019.
2023 saw Hodges working with the duo of Demario Davis and Pete Werner, who contributed to New Orleans ranking eighth in the NFL in scoring defense and tenth against the pass. Davis led the team in tackles for the sixth consecutive season (121) and became only the second Saint to reach the century mark in stops in six seasons. He put on a strong pass rush performance, ranking second on the team and tying his 2022 career-high, with 6.5 sacks. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season and voted an AP All-Pro (second-team)
Andrew Janocko enters his first season as New Orleans’ quarterbacks coach. He has 13 years of coaching experience, including 11 in the NFL. He joins the Saints after spending the past two years as quarterbacks coach of the Chicago Bears.
Over the past two seasons, Janocko was instrumental in the development of signal-caller Justin Fields, who completed 419-of-688 (60.9 pct.) passes for 4,804 yards with 33 touchdown passes, while carrying 284 times for 1,800 yards (6.3 avg.) with 12 touchdowns in 28 starts. In Week 14 of the 2023 season, Fields became the secondfastest quarterback in NFL history to reach 2,000 rushing yards in only 36 games and only the third signal-caller with at least 2,000 rushing yards in his first three seasons. In 2023, despite playing in two fewer games than 2022 due to injuries, Fields improved in most major passing categories, completing 227-of-370 (61.4 pct.) passes for 2,562
six passes defensed, the top totals in club record books for a Saints rookie defensive tackle.
Grantham played guard and tackle for Virginia Tech from 1984-88, where he also started his coaching career (1990-95). He earned secondteam All-South and honorable mention All-America honors as a senior, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sports management in 1989.
tant at Syracuse, one as a defensive quality control coach and one as a graduate assistant. The Orefield, Pa., native’s coaching career began in quality control at Missouri State in 2015.
Gristick played linebacker at Eastern Illinois from 2010-14, where as a three-year starter his last three seasons, he made 194 career tackles with 20 stops for loss and three interceptions, helping EIU capture back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championships and FCS playoff appearances from 2012-13. He earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise science in 2015.
for the fifth straight campaign. Werner ranked second on the team with 93 tackles and tied for the team lead with two fumble recoveries.
Hodges played linebacker at Texas A&M, where he earned secondteam All-Big 12 honors as a senior when he led the Aggies in tackles and honorable mention as a junior after beginning as a walk-on. He was a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and was named a first-team Academic All-American in 2010. He graduated in 2010 and earned his master’s in 2011. He was presented with the 2010 Heart Award, the highest honor for a Texas A&M senior football player.
yards with 16 touchdowns and an 86.3 passer rating, while carrying 124 times for 657 yards with four touchdowns. The Bears improved their victory total from three in 2022 to seven in 2023, as Fields won four of his final six starts.
A three-year letterman at Pittsburgh, the Clearfield, Pa., native served as a backup quarterback and holder on special teams. Janocko spent his first two seasons as a walk-on before earning a scholarship his final two seasons. A three-time member of the Big East Conference All-Academic Team, he graduated with a degree in history and a minor in political science.
PLAYING CAREER: Pittsburgh, 2007-10.
COACHING CAREER: Rutgers, 2011; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2012-13; Mercyhurst University, 2014; Minnesota Vikings, 2015-21; Chicago Bears, 2022-23; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
ANDREW JANOCKO - QUARTERBACKS COACH
MICHAEL HODGES - LINEBACKERS COACH
Adam Gristick enters his second season in the NFL as a defensive assistant with the New Orleans Saints.
ADAM GRISTICK - DEFENSIVE ASSISTANT
TODD GRANTHAM - DEFENSIVE LINE COACH
KLINT KUBIAK - OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Kubiak enters his first season with the Saints as offensive coordinator, his 11th NFL season and 15th campaign overall in coaching. He arrives after serving as the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive passing game specialist in 2023.
In 2023, Kubiak played a pivotal role in the planning and tutelage within the passing game of the NFC Champion 49ers. The 49ers finished the regular season ranked second in the NFL in total offense (398.4 ypg.), including fourth in net passing yards per game (257.9). San Francisco finished first in the league in red zone touchdown percentage (67.2), fourth in in third down conversion percentage (47.5) and were tied for the sixth-fewest turnovers in the NFL. Pro Bowl QB Brock Purdy completed 308-of-444 (69.4 pct.) passes for 4,280 yards with 21 touchdowns against only 11
Marwan Maalouf (mar-won mah-LOOF) brings 15 years of NFL and special teams experience to the Saints staff. Throughout his time in the NFL, Maalouf has been a part of six playoff appearances and one division title. He joins the Saints after serving as an analyst with direct responsibility for special teams at the University of Miami from 2022-24. Serving in a similar position to his Hurricanes stint at the University of Minnesota in 2021, Maalouf spent the 2019-20 seasons as the special teams coordinator with the Minnesota Vikings. Prior to joining the Vikings, Maalouf served as an assistant special teams coach for the Miami Dolphins from 2013-18 under Saints Interim Head Coach Darren Rizzi. In each of Maalouf’s six seasons in Miami, the Dolphins ranked in the top half of Rick Gosselin’s annual NFL special teams rankings, including a 4th-place ranking in 2018.
Mike Martinez enters his second campaign on the New Orleans Saints coaching staff as assistant to the head coach after serving as a football operations/scouting assistant from 2020-22. In his role, he is responsible for assisting Interim Head Coach Darren Rizzi in the club’s football operations. Martinez is responsible for coordinating the Saints’ daily meeting and practice schedules, the team’s year-round football calendar and orchestration of team and
interceptions and a league-best 113.0 passer rating, an NFL-best 123.8 in the fourth quarter. Including Purdy, five offensive 49ers were selected to the Pro Bowl and four were Associated Press AllPros (TE George Kittle, FB Kyle Juszczyk, RB Christian McCaffrey and LT Trent Williams).
Kubiak was a four-year letterman at Colorado State. He played safety for the Rams and was a team captain as a senior, earning an invite to play in the East-West Shrine Game.
PLAYING CAREER: Colorado State, 2005-09.
COACHING CAREER: Texas A&M, 2010-12; Minnesota Vikings, 201314; Kansas, 2015; Denver Broncos, 2016-18; Minnesota Vikings, 2019-21; Denver Broncos, 2022; San Francisco 49ers, 2023; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
Ten-year coaching veteran Denarius McGhee enters his first season as assistant wide receivers coach for the New Orleans Saints in 2024. McGhee comes to the Saints after a four-year stint as an offensive assistant with the Houston Texans.
McGhee was part of a Texans coaching staff in 2023 that helped Houston improve from a 3-13-1 record in 2022 to winning the AFC South division title and capturing an AFC Wild Card Playoff victory over Cleveland. As a team, Houston finished the regular season with the fewest giveaways in the NFL (14) and its passing attack ranked second in the NFL in pass plays over 25 yards (41). Houston’s offensive attack blossomed with the development of several key offensive contributors. Rookie QB C.J. Stroud captured AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, completing 319-of-499 passes for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns and a 100.8 passer rating. Two young wideouts also developed in Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Collins had the best season of his career, with 80 catches for 1,297 yards and eight
During that span Miami consistently ranked among the league’s best in numerous special teams categories, including punts blocked (8, first in NFL), opponent FG % (77.1%, first in NFL), opponent net punting (38.6 yards, second in NFL), punts inside the 20 (181, fifth in NFL) and FGs blocked (6, fourth in NFL).
Maalouf came to Miami after serving as special teams coordinator with the Indianapolis Colts in 2012. He also coached special teams in the NFL in Baltimore (2008-11) and Cleveland (2005-06).
Collegiately, the Strongsville, Ohio native earned three letters while playing guard for Baldwin-Wallace (1997-1999) and was a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection. He was BaldwinWallace’s Outstanding Offensive Lineman and was elected as a team captain his senior season.
staff events, as well as providing administrative assistance to the coaching and operations staff.
The Boise, Idaho, native played basketball at Dordt (Sioux Center, Iowa) University and graduated with degrees in communication and sports management.
COACHING CAREER: New Orleans Saints, 2023-.
touchdowns with a franchise-record 25 20-plus yard receptions. As a rookie, Dell finished with 47 receptions for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games.
A four-year starter at Montana State, McGhee stands as the school’s all-time winningest quarterback, holds program records in career passing yards (11,203) and touchdowns (79) and remains the only player in program history to win Big Sky MVP twice. He led the Bobcats to three conference championships and garnered AllAmerican recognition as both a freshman and a junior. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing. McGhee is a member of the Montana State Athletics Hall of Fame.
PLAYING CAREER: Montana State, 2010-13; Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), 2014.
COACHING CAREER: Florida Atlantic, 2014; North Carolina State, 201516; Montana State, 2017-19; Houston Texans, 2020-23; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
MARWAN MAALOUF - SPECIAL TEAMS ASSISTANT
MIKE MARTINEZ - ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD COACH
DENARIUS M c GHEE - ASSISTANT WIDE RECEIVERS
KEVIN PETRY - OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT
Kevin Petry enters his eighth season as a member of the Saints coaching staff and sixth as an offensive assistant. He’s worked with both quarterbacks and wide receivers during his tenure on the coaching staff and will work with the tight ends in 2024.
Petry was responsible for coordinating the Saints’ meeting and practice schedules, daily football calendar and the orchestration of team and staff events, as well as providing administrative assistance to the coaching and football operations staff from 2017-22.
Marcus Robertson, a 17-year NFL coaching veteran, enters his second season as the Saints’ secondary coach. Robertson has spent the last 33 seasons in the NFL as a player, coach and administrator, tutoring defensive backs with the Tennessee Titans (2007-11), Detroit Lions (2012-13), Oakland Raiders (2014-16), Denver Broncos (201718) and Arizona Cardinals (2019-22).
In 2023, Robertson coached a secondary that finished first in the NFL in pass breakups (99), tied for third in the league for interceptions (18) and ranked tenth in opponent passing yards per game (207.3). Robertson coached CB Paulson Adebo, who recorded the third-most pass breakups (18) and led the team with six takeaways. He also coached S Tyrann
Jordan Traylor enters his sixth season with the New Orleans Saints, his fourth on the coaching staff. Traylor previously served his first two years with the organization in the personnel department. In 2021, he transitioned to the defensive coaching staff, working with linebackers for two seasons. Traylor worked with the tight ends in 2023 and will help Andrew Janocko tutor the quarterbacks in 2024.
Prior to joining the Saints, he began his coaching career as an offensive graduate assistant working with quarterbacks and receivers at The University of Texas from 2016-2017, before coaching quar-
Keith Williams enters his first season with the New Orleans Saints, where he will tutor the team’s wideouts after spending the previous three seasons on the Baltimore Ravens offensive coaching staff. Prior to joining the Ravens in 2021, the Stockton, Calif., native came to the National Football League having 18 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, while also working as a personal wide receivers coach for a number of top NFL wideouts, including All-Pros Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill.
In his three years with the Ravens, Williams served as assistant wide receivers coach in 2023 and as the team’s pass game specialist from 2021-22, working with the wideouts.
In 2023, Williams worked with Ravens Wide Receivers Coach Greg Lewis to tutor a unit that contributed to Baltimore ranking fourth in the NFL in scoring (28.4 ppg.) and sixth in total offense (370.4 ypg.). Zay Flowers, the club’s first round pick, set rookie franchise marks in
This will be Petry’s 12th year as a member of the Saints organization. During the 2015 and 2016 seasons, he served as a video assistant. From 2012-14, Petry was a member of the team’s equipment staff. The Covington native prepped at St. Paul’s High School in Covington, La., and graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in sports administration in 2013. Petry and his wife Kelsey, have one son, Louis Michael.
COACHING CAREER: New Orleans Saints, 2017-.
Mathieu to four interceptions, tying for the team lead with Adebo.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Robertson played four seasons at Iowa State and 12 years in the NFL for the Houston Oilers/ Tennessee Titans (1991-00) and the Seattle Seahawks (2001-02) after being drafted by Houston as a fourth-round selection (102nd overall) in the 1991 NFL Draft.
terbacks at the University of Arkansas as an offensive analyst in 2018.
The Gilmer, Texas, native, who played quarterback and wide receiver in high school, started his collegiate playing career at Mississippi College from 2012-13 before transferring to play quarterback at Texas A&M from 2014-15. Traylor is the son of UTSA Head Coach Jeff Traylor.
PLAYING CAREER: Mississippi College, 2012-13; Texas A&M, 2014-15.
COACHING CAREER: Texas, 2016-17; Arkansas, 2018; New Orleans Saints, 2021-.
catches (77) and receiving yards (858), adding six total touchdowns (five receiving and one rushing).
Williams played wideout for San Diego State from 1991-93, including the 1991 Freedom Bowl team, while also competing on the Aztecs’ track & field team, finishing with a bronze medal (10.31) in the 100m at the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He earned his bachelor’s degree in public administration in 1996.
PLAYING CAREER: San Diego State, 1991-93; Frankfurt Galaxy (WLAF) 1995; Saskatchewan Roughriders (CFL), 1995-96.
COACHING CAREER: Brookside Christian High School, 1997-99; Solano Community College, 2000; San Jose State, 2001-04; San Jose City College, 2005-08; Fresno State, 2009-11; Tulane, 2012-14; Nebraska, 2015-17; San Antonio Commanders (AAF), 2019; Baltimore Ravens, 2021-23; New Orleans Saints, 2024-.
KEITH WILLIAMS - WIDE RECEIVERS COACH
JORDAN TRAYLOR - OFFENSIVE ASSISTANT
MARCUS ROBERTSON - SECONDARY COACH
Woods enters his second season as the Saints’ defensive coordinator.
A 32-year coaching veteran, including the last 20 in the NFL, he enters his seventh NFL season as a coordinator.
With Woods’ influence in his first season with the club, the Saints made great strides getting their hands on the football and taking it away. New Orleans forced 29 turnovers in 2023, ranked fourth in the NFL, with Paulson Adebo leading the team (six). New Orleans was 5-1 when they forced at least two turnovers in a game. The Black and Gold also had 18 interceptions, tied for third in the league. The team led the NFL with 99 pass breakups, with the Saints the only team to have three players ranked in the top ten individually, including Adebo with 18, third in the league. The Saints ranked eighth in op-
Brian Young enters his ninth season as pass rush specialist. In his 15th season as a valued member of the Saints coaching staff, Young has worked with all of the front seven position groups after first breaking into the ranks as a coaching assistant in 2009 following the conclusion of a nine-year NFL playing career.
Since 2017, New Orleans’ 315 sacks rank fourth in the NFL, 11 different linemen have produced multi-sack games and the defense went an NFL-record 55 regular season and postseason games without allowing a 100-yard rusher from 2017-20. In 2023, Carl Granderson blossomed under Young’s tutelage, with a career-high and team-best 8.5 sacks. Bryan Bresee, the club’s first round pick, finished with 4.5 sacks and six pass breakups, the top totals in club record books for a Saints rookie tackle.
ponent points per game, tenth in opponent net passing yards per game and fourth in the league in third down defense after tying for 24th a year earlier. Before the start of his coaching career, Woods lettered four years as a cornerback and safety at Illinois State.
PLAYING CAREER: Illinois State, 1988-91.
COACHING CAREER: Muskigum College, 1992; Eastern Michigan, 1993; Northwestern State, 1994; Grand Valley State, 1994-96; Kent State, 1997; Hofstra, 1998-2000; Western Michigan, 2001-03; Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-05; Minnesota Vikings, 2006-13; Oakland Raiders, 2014; Denver Broncos, 2015-18; San Francisco 49ers, 2019; Cleveland Browns, 2020-22; New Orleans Saints, 2023-.
Young joined the coaching staff after concluding a nine-year playing career, where he appeared in 124 games and had 22.5 sacks and eight fumble recoveries for the Rams (2000-03) and Saints (2004-08). During his Saints tenure, he served as a valuable member of the interior line rotation, starting 58-of-64 contests.
Young played at Texas-El Paso from 1996-99. He was the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, when he had a career-high 121 tackles and eight sacks. The El Paso native graduated with a degree in criminal justice.
PLAYING CAREER: Texas El-Paso, 1996-99; St. Louis Rams, 2000-03; New Orleans Saints, 2004-08.
COACHING CAREER: New Orleans Saints, 2009-.
BRIAN YOUNG - PASS RUSH SPECIALIST
JOE WOODS - DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Khai Harley Senior Vice President of Football Operations / Assistant GM
Scott Kuhn Director of Football Administration
Jeff Ireland Senior Vice President / Assistant GM - College Personnel
Michael Parenton Vice President of Pro Personnel
Mike Baugh National Scout
Terry Wooden National Scout
Casey Talley Area Scout
Joey Vitt Jr. Area Scout
Mike DiJulio Area Scout
Jon Sandusky Area Scout
Paul Zimmer Area Scout
Will Martinez Combine Scout
Zach Stuart Director of Analytics
C.J. Leak Area Scout
Ziad Qubti College Scouting Coordinator
Matt Phillips Area Scout
Harry Piper Personnel Assistant
Debbie Gallagher Executive Asst. to the EVP/GM
Ryan Powell National Scout
Justin Matthews Pro Scout
Josh Hill Pro Scout
Rishi Desai Scouting Assistant
Tosan Eyetsemitan Pro Scout
Dave Ziegler Senior Personnel Advisor
Brandon Tamres Scouting Assistant
EXECUTIVE
OWNERSHIP STAFF DIRECTORY
Gayle Benson Owner
Melissa Scott Senior Executive Assistant to the Owner
Melissa Hoang Executive Personal Assistant to the Owner
• Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic (NCAA Division I Football)
• State Farm Bayou Classic (Southern U. vs. Grambling State Football)
• R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (NCAA Division I Football)
• LHSAA/State Farm Prep Classic (State High School Football Championships)
• Super Bowls XII (1978), XV (1981), XX (1986), XXIV (1990), XXXI (1997), XXXVI (2002), XLVII (2013), LIX (to be played on February 9, 2025)
• NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2012
Legendary Moments
• Saints played first professional football game inside the Superdome when they hosted the Houston Oilers on August 9, 1975
• Alabama beat Penn State 13-6 in first Sugar Bowl game in the Superdome in 1976
• “Pistol Pete” Maravich & New Orleans Jazz set NBA crowd mark of 35,077 in 1977
• Muhammad Ali defeated Leon Spinks before 65,000 in 1978
• LSU-Notre Dame basketball game in 1980 set the NCAA record attendance of 68,112
• Sugar Ray Leonard defeated Roberto Duran in “No Mas” fight in 1980
• Pope John Paul II addressed 80,000 school children in 1987
• George Bush nominated for election at 1988 Republican National Convention
• Grambling’s Eddie Robinson coached his final game in 1997 Bayou Classic
• Tulane rolled out a perfect 12-0 season in 1998
• #2 LSU defeated #1 Oklahoma 21-14 to win college football national title in 2004
• Saints defeated Falcons 23-3 in first game after Hurricane Katrina on Sept. 25, 2006
• Saints beat the Eagles 27-24 to advance to NFC championship game for the first time in team history on Jan. 13, 2007
• LSU beat Ohio State 38-24 to win BCS Championship before record crowd of 79,651
• Saints defeated the Vikings 31-28 in overtime in first NFC Championship game they hosted to advance to Super Bowl XLIV, before 71,276 on Jan. 24, 2010.
• In 2021, the club reached a 20-year naming rights agreement with Caesars Entertainment to rename the stadium the Caesars Superdome.
• In time for the 2024 Saints season, the stadium completed a multi-season transformation that started in 2020, which now makes the Caesars Superdome one of the most state-of-the art facilities in the world.
SAINTS – RAMS MEMORABLE MOMENTS
The Saints and Rams have met 79 times total and 77 times in the regular season with Los Angeles holding a 43-34 in the regular season and the clubs having split two postseason meetings. A former NFC West foe before the 2002 divisional realignment that moved New Orleans to the NFC South, the Saints have only played the Atlanta Falcons more often than the Rams. Included in this storied series history are the Saints’ last home matchup with Los Angeles, a 27-20 victory on November 20, 2022 and a 31-24 win on November 26, 2000, a pair of victories when the Saints defeated the Rams as defending Super Bowl champions. Read about these two Saints-Rams matchups below:
NOVEMBER 26, 2000
SAINTS 31, RAMS 24 AT TRANS WORLD DOME
The Saints climbed into the top spot in the NFC West as they beat the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, 31-24 in a soldout Trans World Dome. Saints QB Aaron Brooks, who made his first NFL start, was 17-of-29 for 190 yards, threw for one TD & ran for two more, including the game-winner late In the fourth quarter. The Rams took a 7-0 lead with 2:43 left in the first quarter when RB Robert Holcombe scored on a one-yard run. The Saints tied the game with :08 left in the first quarter as FB Brian Milne caught his first NFL TD pass from Brooks, a four-yard reception. New Orleans then took a 14-7 lead at the 10:28 mark of the second quarter as RB Jerald Moore (pictured above) scored on a three-yard run. The Rams took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Saints ten-yard line, where QB Trent Green fumbled on a sack by DT La’Roi Glover. DE Joe Johnson recovered the fumble and the Saints went 80 yards on 11 plays, capped off by a Brooks two-yard TD sprint. The Rams pulled to 21-10 at halftime on a 28-yard FG by Jeff Hall. The Saints took the second half kickoff & Doug Brien connected on a 30-yard FG for a 24-10 lead
with 9:27 left. The Rams came right back & pulled to 24-17 as Green found WR Az-Zahir Hakim on a 35-yard TD strike at the 6:50 mark. St. Louis tied the game with 11:06 to go in the game as Green threw a 19-yard TD pass to WR Ricky Proehl. Brooks then led the Saints on a 11-play, 85-yard march, finished off by his plunge over the goal line, to the winning points. The Rams had three more possessions in the final 3:50, which resulted in a fourth down pass that was just shy of a first down, a diving interception by Chris Oldham and a sack by DE Darren Howard on the final play of the game. The Saints rushing offense combined for 147 yards on 44 carries, led by Moore who had 61 yards on 18 rushes. WR Joe Horn led the Saints with 77 yards on seven receptions. Green was 20-of-41 for 289 yards and two TD, but was sacked six times. RB Marshall Faulk led the Rams with 27 yards on eight carries as St. Louis called just ten runs out of 57 plays total. The Saints defense held the Rams to 279 total yards (they averaged 468.0 yards per game coming Into the game).
NOVEMBER 20, 2022
SAINTS 27, RAMS 20 AT CAESARS SUPERDOME
New Orleans got back into the win column at the Caesars Superdome in their throwback uniforms after two straight losses to the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. QB Andy Dalton bounced back from the previous week’s struggles, completing 21-of-25 passes for 260 yards and three touchdowns. As an offense, New Orleans eclipsed 300 yards for the first time in November, while the defense recorded four sacks, including 1.5 by DE Carl Granderson. TE Taysom Hill got more involved as well, carrying the ball nine times for 52 yards, catching a pass and completing one, rushing for at least 50 yards for the fourth time of the season, all occasions being wins. RB Alvin Kamara also added 89 total yards from scrimmage. Rookie WR Chris Olave continued his successful campaign, catching five passes for 102 yards and a career-long 53-yard touchdown grab. It was Olave’s third 100-yard performance of the season. TE Juwan Johnson built on his career season, catching his career-high fifth receiving touchdown, tied for second among NFL tight ends at the time, on a three-grab, 47-yard performance.
JAHRI EVANS INDUCTED INTO SAINTS RING OF HONOR
Jahri Evans was inducted into the Saints Ring of Honor on November 17, at halftime of the team’s 35-14 win over the Cleveland Browns. Evans, who serves as an assistant coach with the team in helping tutor the club’s offensive line, was originally selected by the Saints in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Bloomsburg and spent the first 11 seasons of his 12-year playing career in New Orleans. Overall, he started 169 career regular season games at right guard for the Saints from 2006-16 and all ten playoff games over the period. Evans was a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a five-time Associated Press All-Pro and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team, as New Orleans finished in the Top Ten in total offense each of the 11 seasons he lined up for the club. After being selected as a consensus All-Rookie in 2006, Evans was a Pro Bowl starter and consensus first-team All-Pro each season from 2009-12. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and was a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2023, a finalist for the Class of 2024 and is currently a semifinalist for the Class of 2025. Below is a photo gallery from Evans’ special day documented by Saints Director of Photography Michael C. Hebert.
Evans’ day was made whole by a smashmouth 35-14 victory over the Browns, where the Black and Gold dominated the line of scrimmage. He removed his coaching persona and traditionally laid back personality to celebrate with the rest of the team in the postgame locker room celebration.
While being congratulated by Saints Owner Mrs. Benson at the halftime Ring of Honor ceremony, Evans addresses the sellout crowd, thanking Mrs. Benson, Saints President Dennis Lauscha and Executive Vice President/ General Manager Mickey Loomis for the recognition, as well as the fan base for their outstanding support during his playing career.
Evans, a Philadelphia, Pa. native, poses with family and close friends prior to the Saints-Browns tilt.
Evans excites the crowd prior to kickoff of the team’s 35-14 win over the Browns before putting his headset on and resuming his coaching duties for a performance where New Orleans rushed for a season-high 214 yards, while surrendering only one sack, a performance in the trenches that made this offensive line great proud.
Evans, his wife Takia and their two sons, wave to a cheering crowd during the halftime ceremony honoring the six-time Pro Bowl selection, five-time All-Pro and Super Bowl XLIV champion.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS VS LOS ANGELES RAMS
RAMS WIDE RECEIVER
PUKA NACUA #17
The Rams 2023 fifth-round pick (177th overall) has quickly turned into one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the National Football League alongside WR Cooper Kupp. The former BYU standout set rookie records for both receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486) in his debut campaign last year, while adding six scores on his way to Pro Bowl and Associated Press All-Pro selections. After suffering a knee injury in Los Angeles’ Week One contest, causing him to miss five games, Nacua has returned to form for Head Coach Sean McVay’s offense. In five contests so far in 2024, he has posted 28 grabs for 373 yards (13.3 avg) and a touchdown. The Saints secondary will have their hands full today trying to contain an explosive Rams offense led by Nacua as they try to win their third straight game and stay in the NFC South division race.
SAINTS WIDE RECEIVER
MARQUEZ VALDES-SCANTLING #10
Now in his seventh season, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been a huge boost for the Saints offense since being signed mid-season. A key explosive playmaker for the Green Bay Packers and two Super Bowl Championship runs with the Kansas City Chiefs, ValdesScantling signed with Buffalo this offseason before finding his way to the Black and Gold in Week Eight. Across seven campaigns, the wideout has totaled 194 receptions for 3,382 yards (17.4 avg) and 19 touchdowns, while also adding 250 yards and three scores in seven contests for the Chiefs back-to-back championship runs in 2022-23. Since being signed to the active roster, the veteran wideout has been a dynamic weapon for offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and QB Derek Carr. In just three games, Valdes-Scantling has posted six catches for 201 yards and an absurd 33.5 yards per catch to go with three touchdowns. With catches of 40, 67, and 71 yards already, he is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the ball. Look for the Black and Gold offense to continue to find ways to get their speedy wideout the ball in space today as they try to keep pace with a high-powered Rams offense.
VERSATILITY IS TAYSOM HILL’S FORTE
Coming into this season with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and a new scheme for the first time in his career, Saints tight end Taysom Hill was unsure of his role and how we would be used in 2024. That concern was put to rest quickly, as Kubiak flew to Utah to meet with the Saints Swiss army knife less than a month after being hired as the new offensive gameplanner and play-caller for New Orleans.
“You want to be wanted, right?” Hill said. “Here’s the great thing about Klint. I feel like Klint’s so genuine. So my first conversation with him over the phone was, ‘I can’t give you a fair answer yet because I haven’t watched all the film.’ He’s like, ‘I’m going to go back and watch all of last season’s film.’ And then once he finished that, he came out and visited me.”
“And everything that we have talked about has happened. And I really appreciate that, and that means a lot as a player in my situation where I’ve kind of been doing a lot of different things. And I’m not naive. I’m 34. So as someone who doesn’t know how much longer he’s going to play, those are the type of things that you really value between a coach/player relationship.”
The former BYU quarterback has been used in a variety of roles over the years for the Black and Gold, from quarterback to special teams to tight end to running back and full back, he has done it all. Tight ends coach Clancy Barone said, “like I told Taysom, we only ask our best players to do the hardest things and do the most things, and that goes with him.”
In the first two wins of 2024 against Carolina and Dallas, Hill was used all over the field and helped the Saints offense score the second most points (91) through the first two contests in NFL history. Unfortunately for the Saints, Hill suffered a chest injury in the Dallas contest causing him to miss Week Three. He fought through the injury and came back Week Four against Atlanta and scored two rushing touchdowns in the first half before injuring his ribs. This time, the recovery period was more extensive, causing him to miss the next three contests-all losses. It was a devastating blow to the New
Orleans offense that was already suffering injuries at every position to be without a guy capable of helping fill just about every spot.
But the eight-year veteran was determined to get healthy and come back without limitations for Kubiak and the Saints offense. In four contests since returning from injury, Hill has been dominant, carrying 20 times for 191 yards (9.6 avg.) and four touchdowns, 16 receptions for 148 yards, two completions for 21 yards, a 42-yard kickoff return and a special teams tackle.
With over 100 career games under his belt, his Week 12 performance may have been the best of his career. One of the most dynamic weapons for the Black and Gold offense could not be stopped against the Browns, posting career-highs with 230 allpurpose yards, 188 total yards from scrimmage, 138 rushing yards, 15 touches and eight receptions while also tying his career-high with three touchdowns. 33- and 75-yard fourth quarter touchdown runs iced the victories. For his herculean performance, Hill was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week.
“He’s kind of an ageless guy,” said Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi following the Saints pre-bye victory over Cleveland, who is now 2-0 since taking over for Dennis Allen. “He certainly doesn’t look 34. He looked more like a 24-year-old today, that’s for sure. We’ve got to be smart with the usage and the play counts and all that stuff, and we can’t just sweep it under the rug -- his age -- but man, I think the reason he has success is because of what he does for the whole calendar year: his preparation, his nutrition, all those things.”
When asked about Hill, Saints quarterback Derek Carr said, “It’s unbelievable what he does, what we ask him to do. He’s fullback, lead blocking on inside zones ... then he’s playing tight end, then he’s at receiver and he’s playing quarterback. Then he’s throwing the ball 50 yards down the field. Then he’s running with it from quarterback. Then I’m turning around and I’m in a nohuddle situation, checking plays to hand him the ball at running back. It’s like, good luck finding someone that can do all those things.”
Hill already has cemented his place in NFL history with his ability to hurt the opposing defenses in every facet of the game. He is the only player
since the merger in 1970 with double-digit games involving a carry, reception, and completion and is one of just two players ever and the first since 1964 to have at least 10 touchdowns passing/rushing/ receiving. Hill joined league record books again with his performance against Cleveland, becoming the first player since running back Ed Podolak in 1971 to have three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards, and at least one pass completion in a game.
Not only has his performance on the field been recognized by his teammates, but also his leadership. Not normally one to speak up and usually letting his play do the talking, Saints coaches urged him to step into a leadership role as one of the longest tenured players on the team. For the first time in his NFL career, Hill was chosen as a captain by his teammates.
“It’s hard to put into words what it means to
be a captain,” Hill said. “I would say that the greatest form of respect and accountability comes from your peers. So to have the opportunity to be a captain representing this team really means a lot to me.”
Hill has been a major part of the Saints’ dramatic turnaround in the win-loss column under the supervision of Rizzi. In their last two victories, he has racked up 298 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, while also contributing across multiple special teams units. Look for New Orleans to rely heavily on their unique playmaker as they try to win their third straight contest and stay in the NFC playoff hunt today against the Los Angeles Rams.
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Looking at Saints WR Dante Pettis’ 53-yard punt return in the November 17, 35-14 win over the Cleveland Browns, one only needs to look at his lineage. Pettis’ father, Gary Pettis played in the outfield in Major League Baseball from 1982-92 and had 354 career stolen bases, finishing in the top ten in the American League seven times. Gary Pettis also utilized his speed to be a five-time Gold Glover winner.
23 23
17.4
17.4
Since coming into the NFL in 2018, Saints WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 17.4 yards per catch average leads the National Football League.
In the past two Saints victories, LB Demario Davis has led the team with ten tackles in the November 10 win over Atlanta and 13 in the team’s 35-14 win over Cleveland on November 17 for 23 total stops. It marks the first time in Davis’ Saints playing career that he had double-digit stops in back-to-back contests.
ALYSE AINTS CHEER KREWE
My Saints Cheer Krewe Journey: I began dancing at Machita Dance Company when I was just three years old. As I entered my teen years I competed with MDC and toured as an assistant with Tremaine Dance Convention. That only escalated my passion for dance and left me with no choice but to pursue it as my career. At 17, I moved to Los Angeles and attended Hussian College where I obtained a bachelor’s of fine arts in Commercial Dance. L.A. had become my home. I trained and worked in the industry for five years there until the COVID-19 outbreak. It was because of the pandemic that I moved back to my real home, the real LA. Shortly after that inspiration struck, and I was determined to dance for the New Orleans Saints! And thankfully, that dream is now my reality! In addition to being a member of the SCK, I teach dance at St. Joseph’s Academy and Machita Dance Company, where it all began.
What has been the best thing about being a member of the Saints Cheer Krewe? Being a member of the Saints Cheer Krewe’s reignited my love for performing! When I was rushed out of Los Angeles and back to Louisiana, I thought my days as the dancer were done. I was struggling to accept my new role as a teacher and coach, but now I am living out the absolute best of both worlds! I am so grateful that cheering for the Saints has given me the opportunity to put my dancing shoes back on in such a new and exciting way!
What keeps you motivated? My students keep me motivated day in and day out.
How do you balance being a Saints Cheer Krewe member with your daily life? I am incredibly busy, which makes balancing my four jobs and social life challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way! Because I typically have just about every hour of my day scheduled, I work hard to be present and intentional with where I am.
Who is a significant role model in your life? I have always admired all my dance teachers, but one that stands out amongst the rest is Jade McCune. I am heavily influenced and inspired by her words, thoughts and actions. Being that we are now co-workers, I have even more appreciation for all she did for me while I was her student. She is selfless, genuine, strong in her faith, humble and kind, always striving for improvement in her life and in her work.
What are the top three accomplishments you’re most proud of outside of joining the Saints Cheer Krewe? I’m very proud of myself for graduating as the valedictorian of my high school class in 2015. I am also proud to say I received The President’s Award at my college graduation in 2019. I have always loved learning and pushing myself to succeed at the highest level. And most recently, I purchased my first house on my own, which I believe to be a huge accomplishment at 25 years old!
What do you like to do in your spare time? In my spare time I love to workout, walk and play with my dogs and spend quality time with my family! I could do anything with them and be happy!
What is the trait that you admire most in other people and why? I really admire perseverance in a person, and I think that’s because I know first-hand how tough it can be to face adversity and continue working towards your goals. To persevere takes strength, focus and belief.
If you could have dinner for one night with any historical person, who would it be and why?
College: Hussian College
Los Angeles
Degree: Bachelor’s of Fine
Arts in Commercial Dance
Years With Team: 3
I would love to have dinner with Steve Jobs if I could. I am really fascinated with him and his story. He made such a huge impact on our reality and his legacy at Apple continues to do so. I would be so intrigued to talk to him about leadership, innovation, creativity and perseverance because I know the road to where he ended up could not have been easy.
What is your biggest piece of advice to the younger generation? I want the younger generation to know that a positive mindset changes everything! Believe in yourself. Say affirmations. Love yourself and your situations. Be grateful. Gratitude is literally your superpower!
MATTHEW AINTS CHEER KREWE
My Saints Cheer Krewe Journey: As a New Orleans native, I am ecstatic to be chosen for my third year as a member of the New Orleans Saints Cheer Krewe! I am a graduate of Holy Cross High School of New Orleans in 2010 and later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from The University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 2015. I work as a general manager at a restaurant, and also own a wedding coordinating business in Greater New Orleans. I am currently in my ninth year coaching the Holy Cross Cheerleading team. To be able to represent The New Orleans Saints is an honor. See you in the Dome!
What’s been the best thing about being a member of the Saints Cheer Krewe? Getting back into the sport that changed my life. After college there wasn’t much opportunity for cheerleading at the professional level. So being able to represent my city doing the sport I love is what makes it for me.
What keeps you motivated? What keeps me motivated is being able to show the kids I coach at Holy Cross that you can do anything you put your mind to. It also shows them that there is a possibility of becoming a professional in the sport you love.
How do you balance being a Saints Cheer Krewe member with your daily life and responsibilities? Balancing being a member of the Saints Cheer Krewe with your daily life is not for the faint of heart. Having three jobs alongside being a member of SCK is chaotic, but that’s what makes it exciting. Being able to truly merge my cheer world with my life is what makes it easy to balance.
Who is a significant role model in your life? That would have to be both my mom and dad. At a young age, they both had to make it for themselves and have taught me the lesson of “if you want something you need to put your head in the game and your faith in the hands that be and work hard”. They have made me who I am and I’m beyond lucky to have them to look up to.
What is the best advice you have ever been given? “Never say no to an opportunity that will make you achieve your dreams.”
What do you like to do in your spare time? I love cooking! One day I’ll apply to be a Master Chef so Gordon Ramsey can yell at me about how my dish needs more acidity.
What is the trait that you admire most in other people and why? The trait I admire most in others is being trustworthy. Trust has and will take you a long way because in any situation in life if you can lead with trust, it will make any experience the best.
If you had the opportunity to travel anywhere, where would it be and why? If I had the opportunity to travel anywhere, I would love to visit my family in Syria. My father is from there and I’d give anything to see them, give them a hug, and be with them.
College: University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Degree: Public Relations
Years With Team: 3
Where do you want to be ten years from now? Ten years from now, my dream is to be a host for a show. If being a member of SCK has taught me anything it’s how to command a room and make sure everyone around is enjoying their time. So, hosting a TV show.
What is your biggest piece of advice to the younger generation? My biggest piece of advice to the younger generation is to really find what makes you happy and know that those things will change as your grow, but always do what you love to do.
McCoy, Erik C/G 6-4/303 8/27/97 6 Texas A&M Lufkin, Texas
McKinstr y, Kool-Aid CB 5-11/199 9/30/02 R Alabama Pinson, Ala. 16 Means, Bub WR 6-2/215 1/10/01 R Pittsburgh Lovejoy, Ga.
Orji, Anfernee LB 6-2/230 10/6/00 1
Orleans, La.
Rockwall, Texas
Patrick, Lucas OL 6-3/313 7/30/93 8 Duke Brentwood, Tenn. 36 Payton, Rico CB 6-0/182 11/28/99 R Pittsburg S tate S t. Louis, Mo.
70 Penning, Trevor T 6-7/325 5/15/99 3 Nor thern Iowa Mason
III, John DT 6-5/321 5/7/99 3 Arkansas Bloomington, Ill. 51 Ruiz, Cesar C/G 6-4/316 6/14/99 5 Michigan Camden, N.J. 64 S aldiveri, Nick OL 6-6/316 8/14/00
OWNERSHIP
Named the 23rd full-time head coach in franchise history on Jan. 12, 2017, McVay became the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. During the 2023 season, the Rams finished 10-7 and clinched a Wild Card berth against the Lions after going 7-1 in their final eight games. The stars aligned in 2021 as McVay and the Rams won Super Bowl LVI. He finished the regular season 12-5 and became the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl. In 2020, McVay and the Rams posted a 10-6 record, McVay’s fourth-consecutive winning season, and earned his third playoff berth in his first four seasons. In 2018, his second season as head coach, the Rams won 13 games, tied for the second-most single-season wins in franchise history, and competed in the organization’s first Super Bowl. In his first season in 2017, the Rams won seven more games than the previous season, went from last in the league in
scoring to first, and made their first postseason appearance in 13 years. Prior to joining the Rams, McVay was the offensive coordinator (2014-16), tight ends coach (2011-13) and offensive assistant (2010) in Washington. McVay joined Washington prior to 2010 after an undefeated 2010 regular season with the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, reaching the league’s championship game. McVay originally entered the NFL as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Atlanta, Ga. native played wide receiver at Miami (Ohio). His grandfather, John McVay, served in various administrative roles, including director of research development for the New York Giants (1976) and VP/director of football operations for the San Francisco 49ers (1983-94), as well as serving one year as general manager (1998-99). John McVay oversaw five Super Bowl championship squads and earned induction into the 49ers Hall of Fame.
KAMREN KINCHENS SAFETY
JUSTIN DEDICH
KYREN WILLIAMS RUNNING
SEAN M c VAY - HEAD COACH
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LOOK UP TO THE RAFTERS
At halftime of the Saints’ November 17 35-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Takia Evans, the wife of Jahri Evans, a six-time Pro Bowl and five-time All-Pro guard for the club who now assists in coaching the team’s offensive line, showed the couple’s two sons their father’s number and name as it is unveiled in joining the club’s Ring of Honor.
