Top 10 New Orleans Saints Players of All Time

The history of the New Orleans Saints is unlike any franchise in the NFL. For decades the Saints were lovable losers, a team defined more by paper bags and heartbreak than championships. Then everything changed.

What makes ranking the greatest Saints ever so difficult is balancing different eras. Do you value the legends who gave the franchise credibility during the bad years? Or the superstars who helped bring New Orleans its first Super Bowl championship?

This list weighs greatness, impact on the franchise, longevity, dominance at their position, leadership, and legacy in New Orleans.

10. Pat Swilling — Linebacker

Pat Swilling was one of the fiercest pass rushers of the late 1980s and early 1990s. As a key member of the legendary “Dome Patrol” linebacking corps, Swilling helped transform the Saints from a joke into a legitimate contender.

Swilling won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in 1991 after recording 17 sacks. His explosiveness off the edge made him one of the most feared defenders in football during his prime.

The Saints defense became the identity of the franchise during this era, and Swilling was a massive reason why.

Every Pat Swilling Interception | Pat Swilling Highlights

9. Cameron Jordan — Defensive End

Cameron Jordan is one of the greatest defensive linemen of the modern NFL era and arguably the best defensive player the Saints have had since the Dome Patrol days.

Jordan has spent his entire career terrorizing quarterbacks while becoming one of the most respected leaders in franchise history. He is the Saints’ all-time sack leader with 132 career sacks.

Beyond the numbers, Jordan embodied consistency. Year after year he showed up, played hurt, produced, and represented the city with professionalism.

Few Saints players have ever combined longevity and elite production the way Jordan has.

Cameron Jordan Highlights | 2025 – 2026 NFL Free Agency – Saints

8. Morten Andersen — Kicker

Yes, a kicker belongs this high.

Morten Andersen was one of the greatest kickers in NFL history and one of the first true superstars the Saints ever had. He scored 1,318 points for New Orleans and became a symbol of reliability during some difficult eras of Saints football.

Andersen’s booming leg helped carry the Saints to their first playoff appearance in franchise history in 1987.

He eventually became a Pro Football Hall of Famer and remains one of the most respected specialists the game has ever seen.

Morten Andersen 60 yard field goal – Bears @ Saints 1991

7. Alvin Kamara — Running Back

Alvin Kamara completely changed the running back position in New Orleans.

Kamara was not just a great runner — he became one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in football. His ability to destroy defenses as both a runner and receiver made him almost impossible to scheme against.

He became the Saints’ all-time leader in rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns while redefining offensive versatility.

Kamara’s six-touchdown Christmas performance against the Vikings in 2020 remains one of the greatest individual games in NFL history.

Watch All 73 Alvin Kamara TDs for Saints Record | Highlights

6. Marques Colston — Wide Receiver

Marques Colston may be the most underrated receiver of his generation.

A seventh-round draft pick out of Hofstra, Colston became Drew Brees’ most trusted weapon during the greatest offensive era in Saints history. He retired as the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdown catches.

What made Colston special was consistency. He was never flashy, never loud, and never obsessed with attention. He simply produced year after year.

Without Colston, the Saints offense never becomes the machine it was under Sean Payton.

Marques Colston Career Highlights “All Gold”

5. Sam Mills — Linebacker

At just 5-foot-9, Sam Mills was told repeatedly he was too small to play linebacker in the NFL.

All he did was become one of the greatest defensive players in Saints history.

Mills was the emotional leader of the Dome Patrol defense and one of the toughest players to ever wear a Saints uniform. He led the team in tackles five times and became the heart and soul of the franchise during its rise in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Even today, Mills represents everything New Orleans loves in an athlete: toughness, resilience, humility, and heart.

Sam Mills Highlights: New Orleans Saints Ring of Honor Inductee 2021

4. Rickey Jackson — Linebacker

Rickey Jackson was the first true defensive superstar in Saints history.

As the cornerstone of the Dome Patrol, Jackson played with relentless intensity and physicality. He recorded 115 sacks with New Orleans and became the franchise’s all-time leader in sacks, solo tackles, forced fumbles, and fumble recoveries.

Jackson helped drag the Saints into respectability after years of irrelevance. Before Drew Brees arrived, Jackson was widely viewed as the greatest player in franchise history.

There is still a strong argument for him today.

Unbelievable Highlights from Rickey Jackson NFL Hall of Fame Career!

3. Archie Manning — Quarterback

Archie Manning may have never won a championship in New Orleans, but no player meant more to the franchise during its darkest years.

Manning spent most of the 1970s carrying terrible Saints teams while taking unbelievable punishment behind awful offensive lines. Yet despite the losing, he became beloved throughout Louisiana because of his toughness, leadership, and refusal to quit.

He gave the Saints legitimacy before they had any.

Without Archie Manning, the Saints might not have survived long enough to become what they are today.

Archie Manning Highlights

2. Willie Roaf — Offensive Tackle

Willie Roaf was simply dominant.

The Hall of Fame left tackle protected Saints quarterbacks for nearly a decade while establishing himself as one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history. Roaf made seven Pro Bowls as a Saint and earned spots on both the NFL 1990s and 2000s All-Decade Teams.

What separated Roaf was his athleticism. At over 300 pounds, he moved like a tight end while overpowering defenders in the run game.

Many believe he remains the greatest pure offensive lineman the Saints have ever produced.

Willie Roaf Pro Football Hall of Fame Speech

1. Drew Brees — Quarterback

There is no debate.

Drew Brees is the greatest player in New Orleans Saints history.

When Brees arrived in 2006 alongside Sean Payton, the Saints were still viewed as one of the NFL’s cursed franchises. Everything changed almost immediately. Brees helped lead the emotional post-Katrina rebirth of New Orleans and ultimately delivered the city its first Super Bowl championship in Super Bowl XLIV, earning Super Bowl MVP honors.

He shattered franchise passing records and retired holding numerous NFL records, including career passing yards and completions at the time of his retirement.

But Brees’ greatness went beyond statistics.

No athlete has ever meant more to the city of New Orleans than Drew Brees.

A Champion’s Journey: The Drew Brees Story | New Orleans Saints Football