16-04-2025
Saints celebrate Super Bowl-winning linebacker Jonathan Vilma's birthday
Saints celebrate Super Bowl-winning linebacker Jonathan Vilma's birthday
Happy birthday, Jonathan Vilma. The New Orleans Saints legend, Super Bowl champion, and former Miami Hurricane celebrated his 43rd birthday on Wednesday, March 16. And while his time in the city was brief, all things considered, Vilma cemented himself as a fan favorite in New Orleans.
Vilma only spent six years with the Saints, appearing in 70 regular season games (plus six playoff games), but he made the most of them. He was selected for two Pro Bowls in 2009 and 2010. He intercepted 6 passes, sixth-most among all linebackers in Saints history; Jim Merlo led the group with 8, and four other players tied for second-most, with 7. Vilma also finished his career with the third-most tackles for loss among Saints linebackers (26), but that stat has only been tracked since 2008.
His most important quality was leadership. Vilma gave the Saints a presence to rally around which they were missing, defensively, and someone just as cerebral as Drew Brees and Sean Payton for them to duel with at practice every day. Brees introduced Vilma when he was highlighted on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011, ranking at No. 37, which you can watch here. Injuries forced Vilma to hang up his cleats, but he was selected for the Saints Hall of Fame in 2017 and continues to share his analysis as a color commentator for Fox Sports.
