19 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 19

USA Today

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Tom Dempsey, Devery Henderson, and Ted Ginn Jr. highlight the list of Saints who have worn No. 19
Only 19 days separate us from the 2025 season opener with the Arizona Cardinals visiting the New Orleans Saints. Kicker Blake Grupe wears No. 19 for the Saints, hoping to hold off competition from Charlie Smyth for a third year in the jersey. Of course, Grupe is not even the most famous kicker to wear No. 19 with New Orleans. Here is every Saints player to wear that jersey.
Saints' History of No. 19
Quarterback was actually the first position to sport No. 19 when Gary Wood did it in the Saints inaugural 1967 campaign. Wood appeared in only two games as a backup, completing 5 of 11 throws for 62 yards. The most famous Saint to wear this number was kicker Tom Dempsey. Born without toes on his kicking foot, Dempsey played with a specially designed shoe but overcame all that to have an 11-year NFL career. Two of those years were spent in New Orleans, where he made a Pro Bowl in 1969 with 33 extra points and an NFL-high 41 field goals attempted, including one made from 55 yards. Of course, it was a kick in 1970 that sent Dempsey into NFL lore. It was a 63-yard game-winner against the Detroit Lions and an NFL-record that stood for over 40 years. In 1989, Dempsey became the first kicker to be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame.
Decades before the versatile jack-of-all-trades Taysom Hill, there was Guido Merkens. After coming over from the Houston Oilers, Merkens wore No. 26 for one season before switching to No. 19 and the offensive side. Primarily a wide receiver after the switch, Merkens also filled in at quarterback, running back, returned punts, and even filled in at punter. Merkens had 32 receptions for 519 yards and 2 touchdowns, averaged over 10 yards on punt returns, and punted four times. Most of that was during the 1981 season. He started one game at quarterback, a loss, for the Saints in 1982. At quarterback, Merkens threw for 213 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Only one of the eleven players to wear No. 19 for the Saints was drafted by the organization. Devery Henderson was a second-round choice in the 2004 NFL draft from the LSU Tigers. He would play nine years in New Orleans, with his 124 games by far the longest tenure of anyone to wear the No. 19 jersey. Henderson was part of a deep receiving corps with one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. While best-known as a deep threat, he was also a trusted weapon for Drew Brees in key situations. Over his New Orleans career, Henderson had 245 receptions for 4,377 yards and 20 touchdowns. He is eighth in franchise history for career receiving yardage and retired with an impressive average of 17.9 yards per catch.
Ted Ginn Jr. arrived to the Saints in 2017 as a free agent. Ginn's reputation of making explosive plays carried into his time with New Orleans. In three years with the Saints, he had 100 receptions for 1,417 yards and 8 scores with an average of 14.2 per catch.
When kicker Wil Lutz missed the 2021 season with injury, Brett Maher was one of the four kickers used that year to unsuccessfully replace him. Chris Harris Jr. had a terrific career with the Denver Broncos, but still turned in a few solid performances in 10 games with the Saints during the final year of his career. Blake Grupe would beat out Lutz during a 2023 preseason competition. Grupe had some rocky moments in his first year, but was one of the more consistent kickers in the league during 2024. His range and accuracy will be an important part of the Saints keeping in games this season.