The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division.[1] The NFL awarded the city of New Orleans the sixteenth franchise in the league on November 1, 1966, All Saints' Day, five months after the 89th United States Congress approved the merger of the NFL with the American Football League (AFL).[2] In January 1967, the team was given the name "New Orleans Saints", and began playing in their first season in September of that year. Throughout the franchise's history, it has always been based in New Orleans. Home games were originally played at Tulane Stadium from 1967 to 1974. The team relocated its home games to its current stadium, the Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome from 1975 to 2011 and later Mercedes-Benz Superdome from 2011 to 2021), in 1975.[3][4] The Saints were owned by oilman John W. Mecom Jr. from 1966 to 1985, when the team was sold to Tom Benson.[5] He remained owner until his death in 2018, at which point primary ownership of the team passed to his wife Gayle Benson.[6] She has since made arrangements with the NFL to sell the team and keep the Saints in New Orleans when she dies.[7]

Over their 58 seasons in the NFL, the Saints have accumulated a record of 417 wins, 480 losses, and 5 ties, which is the tenth-worst all-time regular season record among active franchises.[A][8] They have also made the playoffs fourteen times and have the ninth-worst playoff record[A] with 10 wins and 13 losses.[8] The Saints won their first and only Super Bowl championship in 2010 when the team defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.[9][10] In addition to their Super Bowl win, the Saints have won the NFC Championship once and a division title nine times, winning the NFC West twice (1991 and 2000) and the NFC South seven times (2006, 2009, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020).[2] The team currently has eighteen winning seasons, seven 8–8 seasons, and thirty-three losing seasons.[9] The Saints did not have their first winning season until 1987, their twenty-first season in the league.[11] That same season, the Saints made their first playoff appearance.[2] During the team's worst season in 1980 (in terms of win-loss percentage), the fans began to wear paper bags over their heads to games and started to call the team the "'Aints".[12]

Seasons

Legend
Finish Final position in league, division, or conference
Pct The team's winning percentage for the season
‡ Super Bowl champions
* Conference champions
^ Division champions
§ Wild Card berth
New Orleans Saints record by season
Season Team League Conference Division Regular season Postseason results Awards Head coach Refs
Finish W L T Pct
1967 1967 NFL Eastern Capitol 4th 3 11 0 .214 Tom Fears [16]
1968 1968 NFL Eastern Century 3rd 4 9 1 .321 [17]
1969 1969 NFL Eastern Capitol 3rd 5 9 0 .357 [18]
1970 1970 NFL NFC[B] West[B] 4th 2 11 1 .179 Tom Fears (1–5–1)
J. D. Roberts (1–6) 		[21]
1971 1971 NFL NFC West 4th 4 8 2 .357 J. D. Roberts [22]
1972 1972 NFL NFC West 4th 2 11 1 .179 [23]
1973 1973 NFL NFC West 4th 5 9 0 .357 John North [24]
1974 1974 NFL NFC West 3rd 5 9 0 .357 [25]
1975 1975 NFL NFC West 4th 2 12 0 .143 John North (1–5)
Ernie Hefferle (1–7) 		[26]
1976 1976 NFL NFC West 3rd 4 10 0 .286 Hank Stram [27]
1977 1977 NFL NFC West 4th 3 11 0 .214 [28]
1978 1978 NFL NFC West 3rd 7 9 0 .438 Dick Nolan [29][C]
1979 1979 NFL NFC West 2nd 8 8 0 .500 [31]
1980 1980 NFL NFC West 4th 1 15 0 .063 Dick Nolan (0–12)
Dick Stanfel (1–3) 		[32]
1981 1981 NFL NFC West 4th 4 12 0 .250 George Rogers (OROYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year) Bum Phillips [33][34]
1982 1982 NFL NFC None[D] 9th[D] 4 5 0 .444 [36]
1983 1983 NFL NFC West 3rd 8 8 0 .500 [37]
1984 1984 NFL NFC West 3rd 7 9 0 .438 [38]
1985 1985 NFL NFC West 4th 5 11 0 .313 Bum Phillips (4–8)
Wade Phillips (1–3) 		[39]
1986 1986 NFL NFC West 4th 7 9 0 .438 Jim E. Mora [40]
1987 1987 NFL NFC West 2nd§ 12 3 0 .800 Lost Wild Card playoffs (Vikings) 10–44 Jim E. Mora (COYTooltip AP NFL Coach of the Year) [41][42][E]
1988 1988 NFL NFC West 3rd 10 6 0 .625 [44]
1989 1989 NFL NFC West 3rd 9 7 0 .563 [45]
1990 1990 NFL NFC West 2nd§ 8 8 0 .500 Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Bears) 6–16 [46]
1991 1991 NFL NFC West^ 1st^ 11 5 0 .688 Lost Wild Card playoffs (Falcons) 20–27 Pat Swilling (DPOYTooltip AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year) [47][48]
1992 1992 NFL NFC West 2nd§ 12 4 0 .750 Lost Wild Card playoffs (Eagles) 20–36 [49]
1993 1993 NFL NFC West 2nd 8 8 0 .500 [50]
1994 1994 NFL NFC West 2nd 7 9 0 .438 [51]
1995 1995 NFL NFC West 5th 7 9 0 .438 [52]
1996 1996 NFL NFC West 5th 3 13 0 .188 Jim E. Mora (2–6)
Rick Venturi (1–7) 		[53]
1997 1997 NFL NFC West 3rd 6 10 0 .375 Mike Ditka [54]
1998 1998 NFL NFC West 3rd 6 10 0 .375 [55]
1999 1999 NFL NFC West 5th 3 13 0 .188 [56]
2000 2000 NFL NFC West^ 1st^ 10 6 0 .625 Won Wild Card playoffs (Rams) 31–28
Lost Divisional playoffs (at Vikings) 16–34 		Jim Haslett (COYTooltip AP NFL Coach of the Year) Jim Haslett [57][58]
2001 2001 NFL NFC West 3rd 7 9 0 .438 [59]
2002 2002 NFL NFC South[F] 3rd 9 7 0 .563 [61]
2003 2003 NFL NFC South 2nd 8 8 0 .500 [62]
2004 2004 NFL NFC South 2nd 8 8 0 .500 [63]
2005 2005 NFL NFC South 4th 3 13 0 .188 [64]
2006 2006 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 10 6 0 .625 Won Divisional playoffs (Eagles) 27–24
Lost NFC Championship (at Bears) 14–39 		Sean Payton (COYTooltip AP NFL Coach of the Year)
Drew Brees (WPMOYTooltip Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year) 		Sean Payton [65][66][67]
2007 2007 NFL NFC South 3rd 7 9 0 .438 [68]
2008 2008 NFL NFC South 4th 8 8 0 .500 Drew Brees (OPOYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year) [69][70]
2009 2009 NFL‡ NFC* South^ 1st^ 13 3 0 .813 Won Divisional playoffs (Cardinals) 45–14
Won NFC Championship (Vikings) 31–28 (OT)
Won Super Bowl XLIV (1) (vs. Colts) 31–17 		Drew Brees (SB MVPTooltip Super Bowl Most Valuable Player) [71][72]
2010 2010 NFL NFC South 2nd§ 11 5 0 .688 Lost Wild Card playoffs (at Seahawks) 36–41 [73]
2011 2011 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 13 3 0 .813 Won Wild Card playoffs (Lions) 45–28
Lost Divisional playoffs (at 49ers) 32–36 		Drew Brees (OPOYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year) [74][70]
2012 2012 NFL NFC South 3rd 7 9 0 .438 Aaron Kromer (2–4)
Joe Vitt (5–5) 		[75]
2013 2013 NFL NFC South 2nd§ 11 5 0 .688 Won Wild Card playoffs (at Eagles) 26–24
Lost Divisional playoffs (at Seahawks) 15–23 		Sean Payton [76]
2014 2014 NFL NFC South 2nd 7 9 0 .438 [77]
2015 2015 NFL NFC South 3rd 7 9 0 .438 [78]
2016 2016 NFL NFC South 3rd 7 9 0 .438 [79]
2017 2017 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 11 5 0 .688 Won Wild Card playoffs (Panthers) 31–26
Lost Divisional playoffs (at Vikings) 24–29 		Alvin Kamara (OROYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year)
Marshon Lattimore (DROYTooltip AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year) 		[80][81]
2018 2018 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 13 3 0 .813 Won Divisional playoffs (Eagles) 20–14
Lost NFC Championship (Rams) 23–26 (OT) 		[82]
2019 2019 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 13 3 0 .813 Lost Wild Card playoffs (Vikings) 20–26 (OT) Michael Thomas (OPOYTooltip AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year) [83][84]
2020 2020 NFL NFC South^ 1st^ 12 4 0 .750 Won Wild Card playoffs (Bears) 21–9
Lost Divisional playoffs (Buccaneers) 20–30 		[85]
2021 2021 NFL NFC South 2nd 9 8 0 .529 [86][G]
2022 2022 NFL NFC South 3rd 7 10 0 .412 Dennis Allen [88]
2023 2023 NFL NFC South 2nd 9 8 0 .529 [89]
2024 2024 NFL NFC South 4th 5 12 0 .294 Dennis Allen (2–7)
Darren Rizzi (3–5) 		[90]
2025 2025 NFL NFC South 4th 6 11 0 .353 Kellen Moore [91]
Totals 423 491 5 .463 All-time regular season record (1967–2025) [9]
10 13 — .435 All-time postseason record (1967–2025)
433 504 5 .462 All-time regular & postseason record (1967–2025)

See also

Notes

  1. In terms of win-loss percentage
  2. In 1970, the NFL and AFL officially merged in the AFL–NFL merger to form one league with two conferences. All ten former AFL teams as well as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Baltimore from the pre-merger NFL joined the AFC; the other thirteen remaining NFL teams joined the NFC. Each of those two were divided into three divisions: East, Central, and West.[19][20]
  3. In 1978, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 14 games since 1961, to 16 games.[30]
  4. The 1982 season was shortened to nine games after a players' strike. The top eight teams in each conference advanced to the playoffs.[35]
  5. The 1987 NFL strike caused the schedule to be reduced to 15 games.[43]
  6. In 2002, the NFL realigned to create four divisions in both conferences with four teams in each division.[60]
  7. In 2021, the NFL expanded its regular season schedule, which had been 16 games since 1978, to 17 games.[30][87]

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