25 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 25

USA Today

17 hours ago

From Fred McAfee to Reggie Bush and Rejzohn Wright
Only 25 days separate us from the New Orleans Saints regular season opener at home against the Arizona Cardinals. The No. 25 has been worn by a few standouts in Saints history, including two members of the franchise's Hall of Fame. Defensive back Rejzohn Wright gets his turn in the jersey this preseason. Here's a look at all who wore it before him.
Saints' History of No. 25
Jerry Simmons was the first to wear No. 25 for the franchise, but only suited up in two games in the team's inaugural campaign and had 2 receptions. Al Dodd followed in 1969, playing 38 games over three years with New Orleans. Dodd was a fairly productive receiver for the Saints, catching 80 passes for 1,382 yards. Jerry Moore was the first defensive player to wear No. 25 as a Saint, playing two years. However, it took six players over a 15-year stretch before a New Orleans draft choice would wear a No. 25 jersey.
Johnnie Poe was a sixth-round choice in an outstanding 1981 draft for New Orleans. Poe had an underrated seven-year career as a Saint through the early and middle portion of the 1980s as the defense formed into the fearsome Dome Patrol unit that dominated the league. Poe's 100 games with the Saints are the most for any player to wear No. 25 for the franchise. Over that span he had 17 interceptions, returning 2 for touchdowns. His 7 picks and 146 return yards in 1983 were second in the NFL. Poe also had 6 fumble recoveries and a sack in his New Orleans career.
Brad Muster was a disappointment as a 1988 first round choice with the Chicago Bears. In 1993, the Bears swapped Muster with Craig Heyward, the Saints own disappointing first round draft choice in 1988. Muster wore No. 22 in 1993 with New Orleans before switching to No. 25 the next year. He rushed the ball only once that season before retiring at year's end. Of the 17 players that wore No. 25 for New Orleans, Muster is one of 12 that did it for two years or less.
Alex Molden is one of two Round 1 draft picks made by the Saints to wear No. 25. The 11th overall choice in the 1996 NFL draft from the Oregon Ducks, Molden was the first cornerback selected that year. The Saints also selected him before such future stars like Eddie George, John Mobley, Marvin Harrison, Jeff Hartings, Eric Moulds, and Ray Lewis. That fact angers New Orleans fans to this day and has Molden, perhaps unfairly, labeled as a draft bust. Molden had a solid career with the Saints, even if it didn't live up to his draft expectations. He played five seasons with the team, with his 74 games the third most of any Saints player to wear No. 25. With New Orleans, Molden had 8 interceptions with 15 passes broken up and forced 5 fumbles along with recording 6 sacks.
Fred McAfee had two separate stints with the Saints that would culminate with a place in the franchise's Hall of Fame. A Round 6 choice in the 1991 draft, McAfee was originally with New Orleans from 1991 to 1993. After stops with the Cardinals, Steelers, and Buccaneers, McAfee was back with the Saints in 2000. He wore three different numbers during his New Orleans tenure but is best-known in a No. 25 jersey. McAfee only had 924 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns in 10 total seasons with the Saints. Where he forged his career was on special teams, where he was elite. It was those contributions that caused his 2022 induction into the Saints Hall of Fame.
New Orleans has drafted first or second overall three times in their 59-year history. George Rogers was the first overall choice in the 1981 NFL draft. Archie Manning was the second overall pick in 1971. Manning shares that distinction with Reggie Bush, the Heisman Trophy winning running back with the USC Trojans, who was taken second overall by the Saints in the 2006 NFL draft. He would be with the Saints for five seasons and 60 games, the second-most behind Fred McAfee for any New Orleans offensive player to wear No. 25.
Bush was never a featured back for the Saints, but he still made some colossal plays during his time with the franchise. In those five seasons, he rushed for 2,090 yards while catching 294 passes for 2,142 yards and scored 29 offensive touchdowns while adding 4 more scores on punt returns. Bush was also explosive in the postseason, accounting for 5 touchdowns and 639 total yards in six playoff appearances. He left as the franchise's all-time leader in punt return touchdowns and third in receptions by a running back. In 2019, Bush was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
One year after moving on from Bush in free agency, the Saints put another Bush in the No. 25 jersey. Safety Rafael Bush was a free-agent pickup in 2012 and would play 54 games for the team over five seasons. Rafael wouldn't have nearly the same impact as Reggie, but was solid as a backup defensive back and special teams contributor. Six different players have worn the No. 25 since Rafael Bush over the last nine years. Four of them, P.J. Williams, Ken Crawley, and Kendre Miller, ended up switching to different numbers. Miller now wears No. 5 after two injury-plagued years in No. 25.
Eli Apple was the last significant contributor to wear the number. Apple actually had a very good year after the Saints acquired him in early 2018, recording 2 interceptions and 9 pass breakups while surrendering just 44% completion percentage in man coverage. That was an aberration, as by 2019 Apple slipped back into, well, what Eli Apple has always been throughout most of his career.