Friday brings us down to 16 days before the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. New Orleans travels north to kick off 2026, playing at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Wide receiver Bub Means is wearing No. 16 for the Saints.
Means showed nice promise as a rookie in 2024. But in 2025, he was off to a rough start in training camp before an injury landed him on injured reserve for the year. Means has not only had a great start to 2026 camp, but is also our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Jerrod "Bub" Means (25)
- Hometown: Lovejoy, Ga.
- Position: Wide receiver
- Height, weight: 6-foot-1, 202 pounds
- College: Pitt Panthers
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.35
- Drafted: Round 5, 170 overall in 2024 (Saints)
- NFL experience: 2 years
- 2026 salary cap hit: $1.14 million
Jerrod "Bub" Means was a three-star recruit at Lovejoy High School in Georgia that originally would attend the University of Tennessee. He redshirted during his freshman year with the Volunteers in 2019, then transferred to Louisiana Tech. Means would essentially
sit out 2020 after the transfer, then in 2021 caught 22 passes for 430 yards and 2 scores for the Bulldogs. He'd transfer again after that season, this time landing with the University of Pittsburgh. In his first year at Pitt, Means had 27 receptions for 401 yards and 2 touchdowns. Means had 41 catches for 721 yards and 6 scores in 2022, leading Pitt in touchdowns and receiving yardage.
With their second of three picks in Round 5 of the 2024 NFL draft, the New Orleans Saints acquired Means. He made the team easily after a strong preseason. Means saw only light action over his first five games as a rookie. However, he'd be pressed into heavier duty when injuries began to decimate the receiving corps. Means caught 5 passes for 45 yards and a touchdown during a Week 6 loss to Tampa Bay. The following week he'd pull in 3 passes for 37 yards.
Unfortunately, Means joined the team's list of injured receivers when he hurt an ankle after a 36-yard reception against the Chargers in Week 8 of 2024. The injury would end his year with 9 receptions for 118 yards in essentially three games as a rookie. Bub Means was one of the ACC leaders in contested catches at Pitt. He was expected to add that same ability as he entered his second year with the Saints. Unfortunately, Means suffered another ankle injury, again against the Chargers in SoFi Stadium, during the first week of the preseason. New Orleans was forced to put Means on injured reserve, ending his season.
Bub Means has come back from injury to be one of the team's top receivers so far in training camp and preseason. His place on the roster at a much deeper position seems all but certain. Means might not push for a starting role, but looks as if his contested catch ability and intermediate route skills will be a valuable asset to the New Orleans attack.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Bub Means is the Saints Player of Day 16
