Latest news with #HurricaneKatrina-impacted
USA Today
15-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Saints receive no prime-time games for the first time since 2000
Saints receive no prime-time games for the first time since 2000 For the first time since the year 2000, the New Orleans Saints will not play a single game in prime time this season. They've had at least one game kick off after 7 p.m. CT every year from 2001 to 2024, but after bottoming out with their worst record in decades last season (and while stuck in a 1-8 rut in prime time), the bright lights won't be shining on New Orleans in 2025. It'll be the first time in some Saints fans' lifetimes that their team won't be featured on a Sunday, Monday, or Thursday night. It's a really tough break, but it's not unusual. Last year, the Carolina Panthers were the lone team who didn't receive any prime-time games, and the NFL was right to sideline them during a 5-12 season. In 2023, four different teams were shut out of prime time: the Houston Texas (who shocked everyone and went 10-7), Atlanta Falcons (who finished at 7-10), Arizona Cardinals (4-13), and Indianapolis Colts (9-8). The Detroit Lions did not receive a prime-time feature in 2022, either, but they went 9-8 that year. Every team got at least one prime-time game in 2021. So it's on the Saints to prove they deserve more attention. Like we said, they've only won once in their last nine prime-time games. Their 5-12 record last season was their worst finish since the 2005 Hurricane Katrina-impacted season. The last time the Saints didn't draw a single prime-time matchup, Mickey Loomis was in his first year working in their front office and a couple of offseasons away from being promoted to general manager. Mike Ditka had just been fired after posting a 3-13 record in his third year as head coach. It was a rough time for the franchise. But the Saints hired a spry 45-year old Jim Haslett to replace Ditka, and he stunned the football world by turning things around. New Orleans won 10 games in his first year on the job, finished in first place in their division, and won the first playoff game in franchise history. We shouldn't put those kind of expectations on Kellen Moore, but we also shouldn't act like he can't pull it off, either. Stranger things have happened in the NFL. Maybe a little less time in the spotlight and a change in leadership is just what the Saints need to get back to their winning ways.
USA Today
18-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Saints raise season ticket prices after posting their worst record in decades
The New Orleans Saints have a proud fanbase, but they have a strange way of expressing appreciation for it. Season ticket renewal invoices went out this week, and prices are going up — fresh off the team's worst record in two decades. On top of that, the Saints will play fewer home games at the Caesars Superdome in 2025 (eight of them) than they did in 2024 (nine). The 17-game schedule has AFC and NFC teams trade off an extra home game each year. So it's safe to say Gayle Benson didn't invest so much money in improving the Superdome out of charity. She's going to get that back by raising costs for fans to keep their seats. Depending on the number of tickets and where their seats are located, season ticket holders I've spoken with report increases of $28 to $260 per seat for the 2025 season. Those reflect increases of between 5% and 15%. It's not immediately clear how that compares to other teams around the league, but few franchises are coming off their worst performance in as many years as New Orleans. Before 2024, the last time the Saints won five games or fewer was the Hurricane Katrina-impacted 2005 campaign. The Saints aren't exactly reading the room here. But they are running a business. And so long as fans remain devoted and willing to pay those prices, that's what the ticket office will charge. You just have to wonder where the tipping point lies. If they can't end this four-year playoff drought soon, it'll be tough to make sense of rising costs for a subpart product.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Behind closed doors, the Saints admit they have to rebuild
The New Orleans Saints have drawn a lot of ire over the years for their stubborn resistance to rebuilding their team. They've continued to push money into future years and max out their salary cap resources to try and compete. Now, depending on where you look (and ultimately depending on where the NFL sets this year's spending limit), the Saints are in the hole by $54 million to $72 million. But now it's gotten to a point where they can't ignore the inevitable. After struggling to keep their heads above water in a series of 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 seasons after Drew Brees retired, they finished the 2024 season at 5-12. That's their worst record since the Hurricane Katrina-impacted season back in 2005. It's time for change. And while general manager Mickey Loomis has pushed back on that notion publicly, that isn't what he's telling candidates behind closed doors. During a guest appearance on the Athletic Football Show, Dianna Russini shared some insight to the Saints' expectations for their new head coach. When asked about the team's ledger and whether they understand they may need to take a year to untangle their salary cap accounting, Russini responded: "They do. And that's been part of the conversations they've been having with these coaches that want this job. Which is, 'We're going to practice patience here, knowing that we've put you, if you were to get this job, in this position. It's not your fault.'" That situation isn't for everyone. Candidates who are in great spots with elite young quarterbacks (like Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury) have chosen to stay put. Others have gone for greener pastures with more money to invest in their roster (like Aaron Glenn), or opted to wait for better opportunities to open up in next year's cycle (like Mike McCarthy). But for a young hotshot offensive coordinator like Kellen Moore, who got thrown out with the bathwater by the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago? Who the Dallas Cowboys moved on from a year before that? And who just saw someone in his same situation, Bobby Slowik, jettisoned by the Houston Texans a year after getting these same head coach interviews? The fit might make sense. Desperation is a strong motivator. It may be driving Moore to stay in New Orleans after the Super Bowl. And it may push the Saints to finally work on getting out of the salary cap mess they've made for themselves, too. Report: NFL considering electronic system to determine first downs Saints' offseason assets ranked among the NFL's worst war chests Blake Grupe shares endorsement for Saints' next coach at Radio Row Saints have the NFL's worst odds to trade for Defensive Player of the Year Saints' roster gives their next coach a nearly blank slate when crafting the team This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Behind closed doors, the Saints admit they have to rebuild
USA Today
06-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Behind closed doors, the Saints admit they have to rebuild
The New Orleans Saints have drawn a lot of ire over the years for their stubborn resistance to rebuilding their team. They've continued to push money into future years and max out their salary cap resources to try and compete. Now, depending on where you look (and ultimately depending on where the NFL sets this year's spending limit), the Saints are in the hole by $54 million to $72 million. But now it's gotten to a point where they can't ignore the inevitable. After struggling to keep their heads above water in a series of 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 seasons after Drew Brees retired, they finished the 2024 season at 5-12. That's their worst record since the Hurricane Katrina-impacted season back in 2005. It's time for change. And while general manager Mickey Loomis has pushed back on that notion publicly, that isn't what he's telling candidates behind closed doors. During a guest appearance on the Athletic Football Show, Dianna Russini shared some insight to the Saints' expectations for their new head coach. When asked about the team's ledger and whether they understand they may need to take a year to untangle their salary cap accounting, Russini responded: 'They do. And that's been part of the conversations they've been having with these coaches that want this job. Which is, 'We're going to practice patience here, knowing that we've put you, if you were to get this job, in this position. It's not your fault.'' That situation isn't for everyone. Candidates who are in great spots with elite young quarterbacks (like Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury) have chosen to stay put. Others have gone for greener pastures with more money to invest in their roster (like Aaron Glenn), or opted to wait for better opportunities to open up in next year's cycle (like Mike McCarthy). But for a young hotshot offensive coordinator like Kellen Moore, who got thrown out with the bathwater by the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago? Who the Dallas Cowboys moved on from a year before that? And who just saw someone in his same situation, Bobby Slowik, jettisoned by the Houston Texans a year after getting these same head coach interviews? The fit might make sense. Desperation is a strong motivator. It may be driving Moore to stay in New Orleans after the Super Bowl. And it may push the Saints to finally work on getting out of the salary cap mess they've made for themselves, too.
