New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are an NFL NFLThe NFL (National Football League) is a U.S. professional American football league of 32 clubs. Founded in 1920 as the APFA and renamed in 1922, it is organized into the AFC and NFC, with the season culminating in the Super Bowl.Open the full entry professional American football team in the NFC South, playing at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Awarded a franchise in 1966, they began play in 1967. Sean Payton and Drew Brees led the club to victory in Super Bowl XLIV. Gayle Benson owns the team, and Kellen Moore has been head coach since 2025.

Contents13 sections

Key facts

1966–1967Formation and the first season

The NFL awarded its 16th franchise to New Orleans on November 1, 1966. John W. Mecom Jr. became the majority shareholder, and the club adopted the Saints name. It returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown in its September 17, 1967 debut at Tulane Stadium but lost 27–13 to the Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles RamsThe Los Angeles Rams are an NFL professional American football team in the NFC West. They joined the NFL in Cleveland in 1937, later played in Los Angeles and St. Louis, and returned to the Los Angeles area in 2016. Their current home is SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. Owned by Stan Kroenke and coached by Sean McVay, the Rams won the 1945 and 1951 NFL titles and Super Bowls XXXIV and LVI.Open the full entry, finishing its first season 3–11.⁠[1]

1970–1975Dempsey’s kick and a new home

Tom Dempsey made a then-NFL-record 63-yard field goal on the final play against Detroit in 1970 for a 19–17 win. The Saints began playing in the Superdome in 1975. Archie Manning, Rickey Jackson and Morten Andersen were among the important players in the club’s subsequent development.⁠[1]

1985–1992Benson’s purchase and playoff progress

Tom Benson bought the team from Mecom in 1985. Jim Finks led its football administration, and Jim Mora began coaching in 1986. The Saints posted their first winning season and reached the playoffs at 12–3 in 1987, then won their first NFC West title in 1991.⁠[1][2]

2000First playoff victory

Under new head coach Jim Haslett, the Saints went 10–6 and won the NFC West. On December 30, Aaron Brooks threw four touchdown passes in a 31–28 Wild Card win over the St. Louis Rams, the franchise’s first postseason victory.⁠[3]

2006Payton, Brees and the Superdome return

Sean Payton became coach in January 2006, and Drew Brees joined in March. On September 25, the Saints returned to the renovated Superdome for the first time after Hurricane Katrina, beating Atlanta 23–3. They reached their first NFC Championship Game that season before losing to Chicago.⁠[3]

2009–2010First Super Bowl title

The Saints opened the 2009 season with 13 consecutive wins and beat Minnesota in overtime in the playoffs to reach their first Super Bowl. On February 7, 2010, they defeated Indianapolis 31–17 in Super Bowl XLIV, with Brees named the game’s MVP.⁠[3]

2012Bounty investigation and sanctions

In 2012, the NFL found that the Saints had operated a prohibited bounty program in 2009–2011. It fined the club $500,000, removed two second-round draft picks and suspended Payton for the 2012 season. Tagliabue vacated four players’ suspensions that December.⁠[4][5]

2018Gayle Benson takes ownership

Gayle Benson assumed ownership after Tom Benson died on March 15, 2018. Under her ownership, the Saints won three consecutive NFC South titles in the 2018–2020 seasons and reached the 2018 NFC Championship Game.⁠[6]

2021–2022Brees retires and Payton leaves

Brees announced his retirement in March 2021. After coaching the 2021 season, Payton stepped down in January 2022, and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen became head coach.⁠[3]

2025Kellen Moore becomes head coach

The Saints named Kellen Moore head coach on February 11, 2025, following his work as offensive coordinator for Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LIX-winning team. New Orleans won four of its last five games in his first season, with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough becoming a central part of the offense.⁠[2]

Current home city

The Saints play home games at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Their administrative and training facilities are in nearby Metairie, a different location from the home stadium.⁠[7][8]

Related organizations, websites and public accounts

New Orleans Saints: Official website: https://www.neworleanssaints.com/ (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

New Orleans Saints: X: https://twitter.com/Saints (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

New Orleans Saints: YouTube YouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/neworleanssaints (opens in a new window) .⁠[9]

New Orleans Saints: LinkedIn LinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-orleans-saints (opens in a new window) .⁠[8]