Saints partner up with European football team coached by former player Jack Del Rio
This is worth watching. on Wednesday, the New Orleans Saints announced that they have agreed to a "strategic international partnership to grow American football in Europe" with the Paris Musketeers, the latest union between the NFL and the European League of Football (ELF).
Saints president Dennis Lauscha spoke about the move in a statement from the team: "We are proud to announce our partnership with the Paris Musketeers, a collaboration that reflects our ongoing commitment to growing the game of football globally. This strategic alliance provides a valuable opportunity to expand the reach of the Saints brand, engage with the French audience, and share the rich tradition and passion of our organization with fans around the world."
Advertisement
Founded in 2022, the Musketeers went 6-6 in their inaugural season before improving to 10-2 last year, coached by Marc Mattioli; he was hired as the defensive coordinator at Kennesaw State in the fall and replaced by longtime NFL coach Jack Del Rio, whose playing career started with the Saints back in 1985. After he hung up his cleats and took up coaching, Del Rio was hired by then-Saints head coach Mike Ditka in 1997. The Musketeers' regular season kicks off on May 17 from Stade Robert Bobin in Bondoufle, just south of Paris.
Musketeers CEO John McKeon also shared a statement on the occasion: "Joining forces with the New Orleans Saints is a significant milestone for our organization. We look forward to collaborating on initiatives that will not only enhance the fan experience but also contribute to the development of American football in France and beyond. One of our first joint initiatives will be the launch of a halftime flag football series with local youth groups at our home games this season."
The Saints have been awarded exclusive marketing rights in France, and signs point to them playing a regular season game in the country as soon as 2026; partnering up with a team based out of the nation's capital would go a long way to start developing a following abroad. There are many historic and cultural ties between France and Louisiana so this does stand out as one of the more obvious partnerships the NFL has launched overseas. Stay tuned for details on which events and promotions the Saints and Musketeers are planning.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: New Orleans Saints, ELF's Paris Musketeers launch 'strategic alliance'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
44 minutes ago
- USA Today
Saints try out former Rams Super Bowl champ, Vikings and Texans RB Cam Akers
Saints try out former Rams Super Bowl champ, Vikings and Texans RB Cam Akers It might be now or never for the former five-star recruit This could be interesting. The New Orleans Saints are trying out a big-name running back at this week's mandatory minicamp practices, per Nick Underhill. Cam Akers didn't meet expectations as a former second-round pick with the Los Angeles Rams (out of Florida State), and he struggled to get going last year with the Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans, so this may be his last opportunity to catch on with a new team and revitalize his career. It's not uncommon for teams to bring in free agents for tryouts like this at the start of the summer; the Saints did just that with another running back, David Johnson, a few years back. But Akers still has a lot of tread left on his tires. He'll turn 26 on June 22 and has only logged 502 carries in his five-year pro career. He's clearly very talented as a former five-star high school recruit. He just hasn't been able to put it together in the NFL. And it might be now or never for him. He's been traded in each of the last two seasons, from the Rams to the Vikings and from Minnesota to Houston, without ever establishing himself as his new team's top option. But the Saints don't need him to do that. They just need to see whether he can be an effective compliment to Alvin Kamara. They brought back guys like Kendre Miller and Clyde Edwards-Helaire while adding rookies Devin Neal and Marcus Yarns to that competition, plus Velus Jones Jr. and Xazavian Valladay. They were in on Nick Chubb before he signed with the Texans, too. Maybe Akers shows them something they'll like in this extended tryout.
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Saskatchewan Roughriders sign all-star running back Ka'Deem Carey
REGINA - The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed all-star running back Ka'Deem Carey, the CFL club announced Monday. Carey was a CFL East all-star with Toronto last season after rushing for a team-high 1,060 yards with seven touchdowns. He had 79 yards and a TD in the Argonauts' 41-24 Grey Cup victory over Winnipeg. However, he was among Toronto's final round of cuts before the start of the season. The move comes after Riders running back A.J. Ouellette left Saskatchewan's 31-26 season-opening win over Ottawa on Thursday with a suspected head injury. Before joining Toronto, Carey spent four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders. He helped the Stamps win a Grey Cup as a rookie in 2018 and led the CFL in rushing in both 2021 and 2022, earning a CFL all-star nod in the latter season. Over 62 regular-season games, the 32-year-old from Tucson, Ariz., has totalled 3,915 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns. The Roughriders also added American linebacker Braxton Hill and American offensive lineman Darius Washington. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 9, 2025.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Saints make it official, process former All-Pro Ryan Ramczyk's retirement
Last Monday, the New Orleans Saints officially processed Derek Carr's retirement, bringing his NFL career to a close. One week later, they did the same with former All-Pro right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, per the daily transactions wire. We knew this was coming, but now there's no taking it back. Ramczyk won't wear No. 71 again, but its new owner Kelvin Banks Jr. ought to do it twin retirements leave the Saints with two vacancies on their 90-man offseason roster; they currently have 44 players under contract offensively, with 37 of them on defense, and four specialists (plus Irish kicker Charlie Smyth, who has an exemption as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program). How they'll address those two openings is anyone's guess, but we have some ideas. The team has recently met with free agents like wide receiver Gabe Davis, defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard, and cornerback Asante Samuel about the salary cap? This year, the Saints are carrying a total of $76.9 million in dead money from contracts with players no longer on the team -- $13.4 million of which accounts for Carr, and just over $11 million of which is from Ramczyk. In 2026, those numbers go up to $36.6 million for Carr and $11.9 million for Ramczyk, for a total of $48.6 million in dead money on next year's books. That's after Ramczyk agreed to lower this year's salary to the minimum with Carr forfeiting $30 million to facilitate their retirements. The Saints did get a small $1.255 million cap credit for Ramczyk retiring, just like they did for Carr, but most of those savings were wiped out by lesser contracts in the $1.03 million neighborhood replacing them above the top-51 luck to Ramczyk in retirement. Whether he's planning to take up coaching the next generation of linemen or go home to Wisconsin and log a lot of hours in his deer stand, he can do it knowing he achieved a career as a player that anyone would be proud article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL retirement news: Saints process Ryan Ramczyk's papers
