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We have reached 89 days in our countdown to the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. This season, the Saints will be on the road to start their year when they travel to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Brock Rechsteiner is wearing No. 89 as the Saints head towards training camp in July.
Rechsteiner hopes to add his name to the lengthy list of successful undrafted wide receivers with the Saints. Our countdown to kickoff series continues with a look at all that have worn No. 89 for the team, and also our first offensive players in our uniform countdown series.
Kent Kramer wore No. 89 for the Saints inaugural season of 1967. He played in 10 games, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kramer has the distinction of being the first tight end in New Orleans franchise history to catch a touchdown pass. He was also the first Saint to score a touchdown in the fabled Saints-Falcons rivalry, catching two score during a 27-24 win over Atlanta during Week 11 of that 1967 season.
Dave Long is the only defensive player to wear No. 89 in New Orleans. Long played 54 games for the Saints over four seasons, his last of a seven-year NFL career. During that span, he recorded 8.5 sacks and recovered 5 fumbles. After Long, three players wore No. 89 for a combined nine games over the next six seasons.
With the third overall choice in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Saints made Wes Chandler the highest New Orleans draft pick to wear an 89 jersey. During 1979, Chandler had just the second 1,000-yard receiving season in franchise history when he led the Saints with 65 catches and 1,069 yards. In a little over four seasons and 52 games with the Saints, Chandler had 182 receptions for 2,801 yards and 15 scores. Chandler was traded to the San Diego Chargers early into the 1981 season, where he'd 373 catches and 6,132 yards with 41 touchdowns over the next seven outstanding seasons.
New Orleans traded Chandler away for virtually nothing, getting wideout Audra Thompson and giving him the No. 89. The swap was a disaster. Thompson played only two seasons and 19 games in New Orleans, pulling in 14 receptions for 219 yards and 1 score. Over the next decade, six different players including Thompson would wear 89 with the Saints. Not one was with the team for more than two years. Tyrone Young had 36 catches for 682 yards and Robert Clark had 22 receptions and 283 yards as the only two with even moderate success.
In some irony after Chandler, the Saints acquired former San Diego Chargers wideout Quinn Early in 1991 as a free agent. Early would immediately carve out a key role in the offense, becoming one of the franchise's most underrated receivers through their first 30 years of existence. Over five years and 79 games as a Saint, Early had 270 receptions for 3,758 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best two years were 82 catches and 894 yards in 1994 and 81 receptions for 1,087 yards in 1995 as he led New Orleans in receiving both seasons. Early's 79 games are the second most among the 27 players that have worn an 89 jersey for New Orleans.
After Early, it would be almost two decades before another player would make a big impact wearing No. 89 for the Saints. Ten different players would wear the number during that time. Only Brett Bech did so for more than two seasons. Bech caught 21 passes for 379 yards and 4 scores in three seasons as a Saint. Lamont Hall was with New Orleans for five years as a backup tight end, but wore No. 89 only for his last two years with the team. John Gilmore is also a part of an interesting historical footnote for New Orleans. Gilmore, a sixth round choice in 2002, is last of only three players from the Penn State Nittany Lions ever drafted by the Saints.
Josh Hill was with the Saints for eight years and 117 games. No other New Orleans player has worn the 89 jersey for as long. Hill wasn't a productive pass catcher. He had a total of 116 receptions for 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns in his eight seasons. However, he was an outstanding blocker and pulled in some crucial touchdowns during his career.Rashid Shaheed followed Hill in No. 89 as a 2022 undrafted rookie. Shaheed had an explosive four-year tenure in New Orleans, but wore 89 only during his rookie season. That year, he caught 28 passes for 488 yards and 2 touchdowns, added another score as a runner, and was an electric punt and kickoff returner.
Ja'Lynn Polk was initially assigned No. 89 upon arriving in a trade during the 2025 offseason. However, Polk wouldn't play a game in the jersey because he missed the entire year with injury. Polk is now wearing number 13. Samori Toure was a late-season addition to the 2025 roster and made 1 catch for 3 yards in his only game. Undrafted rookie wideout Brock Rechsteiner now has 89 heading towards training camp, hoping that he can add his name to the several successes the Saints have had with undrafted wide receivers in recent years.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: #89 Saints jersey history: Quinn Early to Josh Hill and Rashid Shaheed
Continue reading...
Rechsteiner hopes to add his name to the lengthy list of successful undrafted wide receivers with the Saints. Our countdown to kickoff series continues with a look at all that have worn No. 89 for the team, and also our first offensive players in our uniform countdown series.
Saints History of No. 89
- TE Kent Kramer (1967)
- DE Dave Long (1969-72)
- TE Bert Askson (1973)
- WR Gil Chapman (1975)
- WR Leonard Willis (1977)
- WR Wes Chandler (1978-81)
- WR Audra Thompson (1981-82)
- WR Tyrone Young (1983-84)
- WR Joe Thomas (1987)
- WR Robert Clark (1987-88)
- WR Derrick Shepard (1989)
- WR Mike Jones (1989)
- WR Quinn Early (1991-95)
- WR Mercury Hayes (1996-97)
- WR Brett Bech (1997-99)
- TE Dave Stachelski (2000-01)
- WR Wane McGarity (2001)
- WR Derrick Lewis (2002-03)
- TE Lamont Hall (2004-05)
- WR Jamal Jones (2006)
- TE Sean Ryan (2008)
- TE John Gilmore (2011-12)
- TE Daniel Graham (2012)
- TE Josh Hill (2013-20)
- WR Rashid Shaheed (2022)
- WR Ja'Lynn Polk (2025)
- WR Samori Toure (2025)
- WR Brock Rechsteiner (current)
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Kent Kramer wore No. 89 for the Saints inaugural season of 1967. He played in 10 games, catching 10 passes for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kramer has the distinction of being the first tight end in New Orleans franchise history to catch a touchdown pass. He was also the first Saint to score a touchdown in the fabled Saints-Falcons rivalry, catching two score during a 27-24 win over Atlanta during Week 11 of that 1967 season.
Dave Long is the only defensive player to wear No. 89 in New Orleans. Long played 54 games for the Saints over four seasons, his last of a seven-year NFL career. During that span, he recorded 8.5 sacks and recovered 5 fumbles. After Long, three players wore No. 89 for a combined nine games over the next six seasons.
With the third overall choice in the first round of the NFL Draft, the Saints made Wes Chandler the highest New Orleans draft pick to wear an 89 jersey. During 1979, Chandler had just the second 1,000-yard receiving season in franchise history when he led the Saints with 65 catches and 1,069 yards. In a little over four seasons and 52 games with the Saints, Chandler had 182 receptions for 2,801 yards and 15 scores. Chandler was traded to the San Diego Chargers early into the 1981 season, where he'd 373 catches and 6,132 yards with 41 touchdowns over the next seven outstanding seasons.
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New Orleans traded Chandler away for virtually nothing, getting wideout Audra Thompson and giving him the No. 89. The swap was a disaster. Thompson played only two seasons and 19 games in New Orleans, pulling in 14 receptions for 219 yards and 1 score. Over the next decade, six different players including Thompson would wear 89 with the Saints. Not one was with the team for more than two years. Tyrone Young had 36 catches for 682 yards and Robert Clark had 22 receptions and 283 yards as the only two with even moderate success.
In some irony after Chandler, the Saints acquired former San Diego Chargers wideout Quinn Early in 1991 as a free agent. Early would immediately carve out a key role in the offense, becoming one of the franchise's most underrated receivers through their first 30 years of existence. Over five years and 79 games as a Saint, Early had 270 receptions for 3,758 yards and 25 touchdowns. His best two years were 82 catches and 894 yards in 1994 and 81 receptions for 1,087 yards in 1995 as he led New Orleans in receiving both seasons. Early's 79 games are the second most among the 27 players that have worn an 89 jersey for New Orleans.
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After Early, it would be almost two decades before another player would make a big impact wearing No. 89 for the Saints. Ten different players would wear the number during that time. Only Brett Bech did so for more than two seasons. Bech caught 21 passes for 379 yards and 4 scores in three seasons as a Saint. Lamont Hall was with New Orleans for five years as a backup tight end, but wore No. 89 only for his last two years with the team. John Gilmore is also a part of an interesting historical footnote for New Orleans. Gilmore, a sixth round choice in 2002, is last of only three players from the Penn State Nittany Lions ever drafted by the Saints.
Josh Hill was with the Saints for eight years and 117 games. No other New Orleans player has worn the 89 jersey for as long. Hill wasn't a productive pass catcher. He had a total of 116 receptions for 1,071 yards and 15 touchdowns in his eight seasons. However, he was an outstanding blocker and pulled in some crucial touchdowns during his career.Rashid Shaheed followed Hill in No. 89 as a 2022 undrafted rookie. Shaheed had an explosive four-year tenure in New Orleans, but wore 89 only during his rookie season. That year, he caught 28 passes for 488 yards and 2 touchdowns, added another score as a runner, and was an electric punt and kickoff returner.
You must be registered for see images attach
Ja'Lynn Polk was initially assigned No. 89 upon arriving in a trade during the 2025 offseason. However, Polk wouldn't play a game in the jersey because he missed the entire year with injury. Polk is now wearing number 13. Samori Toure was a late-season addition to the 2025 roster and made 1 catch for 3 yards in his only game. Undrafted rookie wideout Brock Rechsteiner now has 89 heading towards training camp, hoping that he can add his name to the several successes the Saints have had with undrafted wide receivers in recent years.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: #89 Saints jersey history: Quinn Early to Josh Hill and Rashid Shaheed
Continue reading...
