As of Thursday, we have only 17 days until the New Orleans Saints 2026 regular season opener. New Orleans will open the year on the road at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Punter Ryan Wright will be wearing the 17 uniform for the Saints.
Wright was acquired in free agency to stabilize a punter position that has been mostly just bad since Thomas Morstead departed. He'll become the 14th player to officially wear No. 17 for the team. Here's a look at each of them in our ongoing countdown to kickoff series.
Saints History of No. 17
- QB Billy Kilmer (1967-70)
- WR Speedy Thomas (1973-74)
- P Rick Partridge (1979)
- QB Jim Everett (1994-96)
- P Mitch Berger (2003-05)
- WR Robert Meachem (2008-11, 2013-14)
- WR Greg Camarillo (2012)
- WR T.J. Graham (2015)
- WR Emmanuel Sanders (2020)
- WR Kevin White (2021-22)
- WR A.T. Perry (2023-24)
- WR Dante Pettis (2024)
- WR Trey Palmer (2025)
- P Ryan Wright (current)
Billy Kilmer was not only the first to wear No. 17 for New Orleans, but also started the franchise's first game at quarterback. Kilmer would be with the Saints for four years and 49 games, making 39 starts. He had a 53% completion percentage,
throwing for 7,490 yards with 47 touchdowns and 62 interceptions. Kilmer's career game came in 1969 when he threw for 345 yards and a franchise-record 6 touchdowns in a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. It remained a franchise record until Drew Brees tied it in 2009, then broke it with an NFL-record 7 touchdown throws in 2015.
After torturing the Saints for years as a prolific quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, Jim Everett was traded to New Orleans in 1994 to be their starter. Unfortunately for Everett, the once-dominant Dome Patrol defense had deteriorated by his arrival, often forcing the Saints into shootouts. Everett threw for a combined 7,825 yards in 1994 and 1995. His 3,970 yards in 1995 was single-season team record that stood until the arrival of Brees. Despite a poor defense and little running game, Everett remained productive until injuries caught up to him in 1996. As a Saint, Jim Everett had a 61% completion percentage over 47 games with 10,622 passing yards, 60 touchdowns, and 47 interceptions. He remains fifth in franchise history for both passing yardage and touchdowns.
Previous to this season, only three players that wore No. 17 in New Orleans were punters. Rick Partridge was the first in 1979, with Mitch Berger being the most effective from 2003 to 2005. Kilmer and Everett were the only quarterbacks to wear a No. 17 jersey. The last six players prior to Ryan Wright to wear the number, dating back to 2008, have been wide receivers.
Robert Meachem was the first of that string of wideouts. As the 27th choice in Round 1 of the 2008 NFL draft, he's also one of only two players to wear No. 17 that's been drafted by the team to date. Meachem never even came close to living up to the expectations that came with his draft status. However, he was a deep threat for a deep receiving corps that was instrumental in the Saints Super Bowl XLIV title run. Meachem played 88 games over six years in two different stints in New Orleans, the most by anyone to wear No. 17. He had 164 receptions for 2,707 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best output was during the Saints Super Bowl season, catching 45 passes for 722 yards and 10 scores.
Emmanuel Sanders is really the only other receiver to wear the No. 17 jersey and have a meaningful impact. Sanders played only one season for the Saints out of a productive 12-year NFL career. He'd step up as the team's top wideout after an injury to Michael Thomas in 2020, pulling in 61 receptions for 726 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Despite great physical tools and a highly productive career at Wake Forest, A.T. Perry slipped to Round 6 of the 2023 NFL draft. He'd see sporadic action as a rookie with the Saints, but still flashed strong upside with 12 catches for 246 yards and 4 scores. The following season, New Orleans wound up releasing Perry during an injury. He'd wind up with the Denver Broncos in 2025 and has done little to deserve sticking around on an NFL roster. The 17 jersey was issued to Dante Pettis for the back half of 2024 before his change to 11 in 2025. Pettis added little as a receiver or punt returner in either number. Trey Palmer officially had 17 for the Saints in 2025, but spent the year on injured reserve.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 17 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 17 jersey
