We are a mere 1 day from the New Orleans Saints 2026 regular season opener. The Saints travel to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday to kick off their year. Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry will wear the No. 1 jersey for New Orleans. A third-year corner, McKinstry will be wearing his third different uniform number in as many regular seasons played. He becomes only the sixth player to wear this number in New Orleans. Our countdown to kickoff series winds down by looking at all of them.
Saints History of No. 1
- K Garo Yepremian (1979)
- K Benny Ricardo (1980-81)
- K Martin Gramatica (2007-08)
- WR Marquez Callaway (2021-22)
- CB Alontae Taylor (2023-25)
- CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (current)
A decorated nine-year veteran with the Miami Dolphins, kicker Garo Yepremian was the first Saint to don No. 1 when he joined the team in 1979. He was only with New Orleans for one year, converting 75% of his field goals and 39 of 40 extra points. Two years later, kicker Benny
Ricarco was the next to wear a 1 jersey. Ricarco's two years as a Saint saw him miss three extra points and convert field goals at a lowly 54.8% rate. It would be over two and a half decades later before another player suited up in No. 1 with the Saints when Martin Gramatica did it in 2007. Gramatica filled in at kicker for just eight games over two seasons, but hit 11 of 15 field goals and all 24 of his extra points.
Undrafted wideout Marquez Callaway was the first non-kicker to wear No. 1 for New Orleans. Callaway had No. 12 as a rookie in 2020, switched to 1 for 2021 and 2022, then had No. 10 when brought back to the team after being released in 2023. During his two years wearing No. 1, Callaway had 58 receptions for 856 yards and 7 touchdowns. Callaway's 698 receiving yards and 6 scores during the 2021 season both led the team. His 31 games in a No. 1 jersey are the second most among all New Orleans players to wear it.
Callaway could not wear No. 1 when he returned to the Saints in 2023 because it belonged to Alontae Taylor. A second round choice in the 2022 NFL draft, Taylor wore No. 27 as a rookie before making the jersey change. His 51 games in No. 1 over three years are the most of any Saint to wear the number. Over those three seasons in No. 1, Taylor had 4 interceptions, broke up 41 passes, forced 3 fumbles, recorded 7 sacks, and had 20 tackles for loss while being among the team's tackle leaders. Taylor departed in free agency during the 2026 offseason, leaving a defensive void in both leadership and performance.
Expecting to make up for both is Kool-Aid McKinstry as he assumes the 1 uniform. It's the jersey he wore in college with the Alabama Crimson Tide, marking the fourth number change for McKinstry in his third NFL season. McKinstry wore 34 in training camp as a rookie, switching to 14 during the 2024 regular season and 4 in 2025. Kool-Aid McKinstry has been an emerging star for the Saints secondary. He'll take an even more prominent role for the entire defense in 2026 as the team's top corner.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 1 day until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 1 jersey
