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Only 50 days are left until the New Orleans Saints 2026 season opener. The Saints will be away to kick off their year, traveling to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. No player currently owns the 50 jersey as New Orleans prepares for training camp. There have been 18 players to ever wear this number for the franchise. Here's a look at each of them.
Jake Kupp was the first to wear No. 50 with New Orleans. Selected by New Orleans in the 1967 expansion draft, Kupp was one of the original stars of the first Saints teams. He started the first five games of their inaugural year of 1967 before being released and picked up by the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints brought him back during the 1968 offseason, where he'd be a fixture on the offensive line for the next eight years.
Grandfather of former Rams Super Bowl MVP and current Seahawks wideout Cooper Kupp, Jake Kupp appeared in 106 games with 102 starts as a Saint. It is the most by any player to wear No. 50 for the franchise. Kupp is a member of the 25th, 40th, and 50th New Orleans Anniversary teams. In 1992, he and center John Hill were inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. They were the first two offensive linemen to receive those honors.
New Orleans native and LSU star Ken Bordelon was the first Saints defensive player to wear No. 50. He'd also wear it for longer than any other defensive player with the franchise, suiting up in 82 contests over six seasons. Bordelon had 3 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, along with 2 fumble recoveries and 2 sacks.
Jack Del Rio was the first player drafted by the Saints to wear 50. A third round choice in the 1985 NFL draft out of USC, Del Rio went on to have an 11-year NFL career as a player and successful tenure as a coach. Only two of those season as a player were with the Saints, with 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles forced, and 5 fumbles recovered with one touchdown. Del Rio also returned to New Orleans as a defensive assistant coach for two years in 1997 and 1998.
Of the 18 players to wear No. 50, only six did so for more than two seasons. Kupp and Bordelon were the first two, with James Allen, Marvin Mitchell, Curtis Lofton, and Andrew Dowell being the others. Ink Aleaga was a Saint for three seasons, but only wore 50 for three games in his first year. Allen was a Round 3 pick in the 2002 NFL draft. He was with the Saints for four years and 48 games, recording an interception and 4 forced fumbles.
Marvin Mitchell followed Allen in the 50 jersey. A seventh round choice in 2007, he'd be with New Orleans for 55 games but only two starts. Lofton joined the Saints as a prized free agent signing away from the Atlanta Falcons. He'd start all of his 48 outings with New Orleans over three years and filled up the stat sheet with 392 total tackles. Eighteen of those stops were for loss, including 3 sacks, but he simply wasn't an impactful player for bad defenses.
Stephone Anthony holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 50. The 31st pick in Round 1 of the 2015 NFL draft from the Clemson Tigers, Anthony got his career off to a wonderful start. He led the team with 116 tackles as a rookie, including 5 for loss, while intercepting a pass and returning a fumble for a touchdown. By 2016, Anthony's alarming lack of instincts and awareness were routinely exposed by opponents. New Orleans traded Anthony to the Miami Dolphins early in 2017 for a late-round draft pick. He'd return to the Saints in 2019, wearing No. 58, but primarily played on special teams.
Since the Anthony disappointment, four players have worn No. 50 since 2017. Only Dowell, a special teamer, did it for more than two seasons. Khalen Saunders was traded away early in the 2025 preseason, leaving nobody to wear the 50 uniform last year with the number still vacant to this point.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 50 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 50 jersey
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Saints History of No. 50
- G Jake Kupp (1967-75)
- LB Ken Bordelon (1976-82)
- LB Jack Del Rio (1985-86)
- G Phillip James (1987)
- LB John Johnson (1995)
- LB Ink Aleaga (1997)
- LB Kevin Mitchell (1998-99)
- LB Corey Terry (2000)
- LB Phil Clarke (2001)
- LB James Allen (2002-05)
- LB Marvin Mitchell (2007-10)
- C Olin Kreutz (2011)
- LB Curtis Lofton (2012-14)
- LB Stephone Anthony (2015-16)
- LB Gerald Hodges (2017)
- LB Ray-Ray Armstrong (2019)
- LB Andrew Dowell (2020-22)
- DT Khalen Saunders (2024)
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Jake Kupp was the first to wear No. 50 with New Orleans. Selected by New Orleans in the 1967 expansion draft, Kupp was one of the original stars of the first Saints teams. He started the first five games of their inaugural year of 1967 before being released and picked up by the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints brought him back during the 1968 offseason, where he'd be a fixture on the offensive line for the next eight years.
Grandfather of former Rams Super Bowl MVP and current Seahawks wideout Cooper Kupp, Jake Kupp appeared in 106 games with 102 starts as a Saint. It is the most by any player to wear No. 50 for the franchise. Kupp is a member of the 25th, 40th, and 50th New Orleans Anniversary teams. In 1992, he and center John Hill were inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. They were the first two offensive linemen to receive those honors.
New Orleans native and LSU star Ken Bordelon was the first Saints defensive player to wear No. 50. He'd also wear it for longer than any other defensive player with the franchise, suiting up in 82 contests over six seasons. Bordelon had 3 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, along with 2 fumble recoveries and 2 sacks.
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Jack Del Rio was the first player drafted by the Saints to wear 50. A third round choice in the 1985 NFL draft out of USC, Del Rio went on to have an 11-year NFL career as a player and successful tenure as a coach. Only two of those season as a player were with the Saints, with 2 interceptions, 3 fumbles forced, and 5 fumbles recovered with one touchdown. Del Rio also returned to New Orleans as a defensive assistant coach for two years in 1997 and 1998.
Of the 18 players to wear No. 50, only six did so for more than two seasons. Kupp and Bordelon were the first two, with James Allen, Marvin Mitchell, Curtis Lofton, and Andrew Dowell being the others. Ink Aleaga was a Saint for three seasons, but only wore 50 for three games in his first year. Allen was a Round 3 pick in the 2002 NFL draft. He was with the Saints for four years and 48 games, recording an interception and 4 forced fumbles.
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Marvin Mitchell followed Allen in the 50 jersey. A seventh round choice in 2007, he'd be with New Orleans for 55 games but only two starts. Lofton joined the Saints as a prized free agent signing away from the Atlanta Falcons. He'd start all of his 48 outings with New Orleans over three years and filled up the stat sheet with 392 total tackles. Eighteen of those stops were for loss, including 3 sacks, but he simply wasn't an impactful player for bad defenses.
Stephone Anthony holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 50. The 31st pick in Round 1 of the 2015 NFL draft from the Clemson Tigers, Anthony got his career off to a wonderful start. He led the team with 116 tackles as a rookie, including 5 for loss, while intercepting a pass and returning a fumble for a touchdown. By 2016, Anthony's alarming lack of instincts and awareness were routinely exposed by opponents. New Orleans traded Anthony to the Miami Dolphins early in 2017 for a late-round draft pick. He'd return to the Saints in 2019, wearing No. 58, but primarily played on special teams.
Since the Anthony disappointment, four players have worn No. 50 since 2017. Only Dowell, a special teamer, did it for more than two seasons. Khalen Saunders was traded away early in the 2025 preseason, leaving nobody to wear the 50 uniform last year with the number still vacant to this point.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 50 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 50 jersey
Continue reading...
