80 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 80 jersey

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80 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 80 jersey

Bob Rose , Saints Wire · Saints Wire

Thu, Jun 25, 2026 ·

6 min read

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We have reached 80 days until the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. New Orleans will be on the road to start the year, heading north to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Tight end Moliki Matavao currently wears No. 80 for the Saints as he heads into his second training camp. Matavao became the 33rd player in New Orleans history to wear the number 80 last season. Our countdown to kickoff series continues with a look at each that wore it.

Saints History of No. 80

DE Jim Garcia (1967)
DE Richard Neal (1969)
DE Mike Walker (1971)
WR Doug Winslow (1973)
WR Earl McCullouch (1974)
WR Sam Havrilak (1974)
WR Larry Burton (1975-77)
WR Gordon Banks (1980-81)
WR Lindsay Scott (1982-85) 49
WR Malcolm Barnwell (1985)
WR Mike Miller (1985)
WR Herbert Harris (1986-87)
WR Stacey Dawsey (1987)
WR Brett Perriman (1988-90) 46
WR Wesley Carroll (1991-92)
WR Marcus Dowdell (1993)
WR Tyrone Johnson (1994)
WR Haywood Jeffires (1996)
WR Daryl Hobbs (1997)
TE Tony Johnson (1998)
WR P.J. Franklin (1999)
WR Robert Wilson (2000-01)
WR Jerome Pathon (2002-04) 45
TE Shad Meier (2005)
TE Mark Campbell (2006-08)
TE Darnell Dinkins (2009)
TE Jimmy Graham (2010-14, 2023) 91
WR Austin Carr (2017-20)
WR Chris Hogan (2021)
WR Kawaan Baker (2021)
WR Jarvis Landry (2022)
WR Jermaine Jackson (2024)
TE Moliki Matavao (2025-current)

Defensive end Jim Garcia was the first to wear 80, recording a sack in 12 games during the Saints' 1967 inaugural campaign. Richard Neal was the first New Orleans draft pick to wear the jersey as a second-round choice in the 1969 NFL Draft. Neal wore three different numbers during a split five-year career with the Saints, sporting 80 during his rookie season. Mike Walker was the third straight defensive player to wear 80, doing so for five games in 1971.

Doug Winslow would become the first offensive player to wear an 80 jersey for the Saints. An eighth-round choice in 1973 by New Orleans, he'd play just one year and catch 4 passes for 45 yards. Winslow, Earl McCullouch, and Monessen (Pa.) high school native Sam Havrilak split 80 for a combined 21 games between 1973 and 1974 with little impact.

Larry Burton holds the distinction of being the highest-drafted player by New Orleans to wear the 80 jersey. He's also one of the biggest draft busts in franchise history. The seventh overall pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, Burton was the first wideout selected that year. He'd play only three seasons and 28 games for New Orleans, catching 35 passes for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns. Burton had far more success as a world-class sprinter out of Purdue, once holding the world record in the 60-yard dash (5.9) and finishing fourth in the 200 meters in the 1972 Olympics.

Dec 2, 1984; Anaheim, CA, USA; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints receiver Lindsay Scott (80) in action against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Brouillet-USA TODAY Sports

Gordon Banks had a brief 13-game stint over two years with the Saints until Lindsay Scott added his name with Burton on the Saints all-time draft bust list. Looking to replace Wes Chandler, whom they traded to San Diego in 1981, the Saints selected Scott with the 13th choice in the first round of the 1982 NFL Draft. Scott was with the Saints for four years and 49 games, but accomplished astonishingly little. He had a total of just 69 receptions for 864 yards and scored once. Yet incredibly, only one player had more than Scott's 49 outings in the number 80 uniform for the Saints.

After Scott, Malcolm Barnwell, Mike Miller, Herbert Harris, and Stacey Dawsey would wear 80 over the next three seasons. Combined, they'd wear the jersey for only 30 contests between them. After that, the Saints would spend two high-round picks on a pair of Miami Hurricanes playmakers.

New Orleans selected Brett Perriman with the 52nd overall choice in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft. The explosive Perriman would have later success with the Detroit Lions but never lived up to the Saints' expectations. He was in New Orleans for 46 games over three seasons, the third-longest stretch of anyone to wear 80. However, Perriman produced just 72 receptions for 953 yards and 4 scores.

13 Dec 1992: Wide receiver Wesley Carroll of the New Orleans Saints looks to catch the ball during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Anaheim Stadium in Anaheim, California. The Saints won the game, 37-14.

Wideout Wesley Carroll would be the next Hurricane to land with the Saints. Also a second-round selection, Carroll was the 42nd overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft. He'd only last two years, catching just 36 passes for 476 yards and 3 touchdowns. Perriman and Carroll started a long string of unsuccessful players to put on the 80 jersey for New Orleans.

Marcus Dowdell and Tyrone Johnson each wore 80 for a year before Haywood Jeffires was acquired by the Saints. Jeffries was extremely productive for the Houston Oilers, but was a shadow of that player as a Saint. He was with the team for one year, pulling in 20 receptions for 215 yards but scoring 3 times. Daryl Hobbs followed Jeffires and was even less productive in his only season, pulling in 5 passes for 44 yards over four games with the team.

After Hobbs, seven players wore the 80 jersey over the next dozen years. Robert Wilson was a decent contributor, with Jerome Pathon being the most productive player by far. Pathon was a Saint for three years and 45 games. In that span, he'd record 121 receptions for 1,682 yards with 9 touchdowns. Mark Campbell and Darnell Dinkins were each solid blockers during their time with the Saints wearing No. 80.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 18: Jimmy Graham #80 of the New Orleans Saints hands equipment to fans after a win against the Minnesota Vikings on December 18, 2011 at Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Saints defeated the Vikings 42-20. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

In the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, the Saints selected a raw but athletic tight end named Jimmy Graham from the Miami Hurricanes. A former basketball standout, Graham quickly developed into one of the best and most popular offensive players in New Orleans history. In 2011, Graham had an eye-popping 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 scores. Between 2011 and 2014, Graham averaged 89 catches and 1,099 yards while catching 46 touchdowns, including an NFL-best 16 scores during the 2013 campaign.

If not for a controversial trade to the Seattle Seahawks during the 2014 offseason, Jimmy Graham would undoubtedly be an NFL Hall of Famer and considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history. He returned to New Orleans in 2023 and provided a nostalgic swan song with 4 touchdowns on only 6 catches. Graham's 91 games are far more than any Saint that has worn an 80 jersey. During his six-year New Orleans tenure, he had 602 receptions for 4,791 yards with 55 touchdown catches.

Between Graham's stints for the Saints, Austin Carr, Chris Hogan, Kawaan Baker, Jarvis Landry, and Jermaine Jackson each wore the 80 jersey with little to moderate success. Moliki Matavao had his turn in 2025 for six games and 2 receptions. Matavao now has a fierce fight for a roster spot this season as he tries to keep a role for a vastly improved New Orleans tight end position.