We are down to 12 days until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. New Orleans will play at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13 to open their season. Wearing No. 12 is wide receiver Chris Olave, one of the team's best weapons. After a career year, Olave was rewarded with a big contract extension. He's the tenth player in franchise history to wear the 12 jersey. Our countdown to kickoff series continues by looking at each.
Saints History of No. 12
- P Tom McNeill (1967-69)
- QB Bobby Scott (1973-81)
- QB Babe Laufenberg (1986)
- QB Kevin Ingram (1987)
- QB Billy Joe Hobert (1997-99)
- QB Jake Delhomme (2002)
- WR Marques Colston (2006-15)
- WR Marquez Callaway (2020)
- WR Kenny Stills (2021)
- WR Chris Olave (2022-current)
Tom McNeill was the Saints first regular punter and also the first to wear No. 12. McNeill was with New Orleans for their first two years of existence. He had a 42.3 yard average during his time with the team and had an NFL-best 81-yard punt in 1969. It is the longest in franchise history and tied for the 13th longest in the history of the league.
Bobby Scott was the first player drafted by the Saints to wear the 12 jersey. A 14th round choice in 1971, the same year that New Orleans drafted Archie Manning second overall, Scott was with the team as Manning's backup during the entire tenure of both with the team. Scott's nine years and 41 games are the third most of any player who's worn No. 12 with the Saints. Most of those 41 contests were in backup duty to Manning, but Scott did start 14 career games with a 4-10 record. His career stats as quarterback were 2,781 yards, 15 touchdowns, 28 interceptions, and a 47.4% completion percentage.
Babe Laufenberg and Kevin Ingram each had extremely short stints wearing No. 12 as New Orleans quarterbacks. Laufenberg played in only one game during the 1986 season and did not attempt a pass. Ingram was with the Saints as a replacement player during a player strike in 1987. He appeared in two games and completed one of his two throws for a five yard touchdown.
Billy Joe Hobert was one of the two "Billy Joe horrors" during Mike Ditka's nightmarish quarterback carousel over a three-year stretch. Hobert was with the Saints during all three years of that circus, playing in 15 games with 12 starts. He had a 4-8 record as a starter, with overall numbers of a 50% completion percentage for 2,031 yards with 13 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Jake Delhomme was also technically a part of that merry-go-round at quarterback. Delhomme arrived to New Orleans in 1999, but wore No. 9 until a stint with NFL Europe. Delhomme would see light action in four games during the 2002 season wearing No. 12. He completed 8 of 10 throws in those four outings for 113 yards.
During the 2006 NFL Draft, the Saints selected an unknown converted tight end named Marques Colston from Hofstra just four picks from the end of the draft. Colston dazzled in training camp and would win a starting job at wide receiver during preseason. He wasn't done there, as ''The Quiet Storm'' went on to become one of the most prolific players in New Orleans history.
Colston took the league by storm in 2006, leading the Saints with 1,038 receiving yards on 70 catches with 8 scores to become the first New Orleans player to have over 1,000 yards as a rookie. He'd go on to be a tremendous producer in the New Orleans offense and one of NFL history's most underrated wide receivers. Colston played 146 regular season games over 10 years, by far the most of any Saints player to wear No. 12. He had over 1,000 yards in six of those years, a franchise record, along with two additional seasons of at least 900 yards. Colston retired after the 2015 season with 711 career receptions for 9,759 9,759 yards and 72 touchdowns, all Saints franchise records. He also held the career team mark for total yards and total touchdowns until broken by Alvin Kamara. Despite ridiculously never being voted to a Pro Bowl, Colston was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2019.
Wideouts Marquez Callaway and Kenny Stills both wore No. 12 for one season with New Orleans, with each having more previous success in different numbers. Callaway wore 12 as an undrafted rookie with the Saints in 2020, catching 21 passes for 213 yards before switching to No. 1 the next year. Stills wore No. 84 during a productive two-year start to his career. After six years with the Dolphins and Texans, Stills returned to the Saints in 2021 wearing No. 12 to catch just 6 passes for 68 yards over 13 games of action and four starts.
New Orleans drafted Ohio State Buckeyes star Chris Olave with the 11th overall choice in the 2022 NFL draft, making him the highest drafted player by the Saints to wear No. 12. Olave was extremely productive over his first two seasons, pulling in 159 receptions for 2,165 yards. He joined Colston and Michael Thomas as the only New Orleans players to gain over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons in the league. Olave couldn't make it three straight, as concussions shortened his season to only eight games in 2024. He'd return with force in 2025, pulling in 100 receptions for 1,163 yards and 9 touchdowns. Olave was rewarded with a contract extension this offseason, with his 55 games already the second most of any Saints player to wear the 12 uniform. He's got a climb ahead of him to match the longevity and production of Marques Colston, but Olave will certainly be a featured weapon for New Orleans in 2026 and the coming years.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 12 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 12 jersey
