Countdown to Kickoff: Kevin Austin Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 81

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Countdown to Kickoff: Kevin Austin Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 81

Countdown to Kickoff: Kevin Austin Jr. is the Saints Player of Day 81

Bob Rose , Saints Wire

Wed, Jun 24, 2026 ·

3 min read

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In 81 days, the New Orleans Saints will open their 2026 regular season. They'll do so on the road, traveling north to take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. wears No. 81 for the Saints at the moment.

Austin has been with the Saints for the last two seasons. To make it into a third, he'll have to beat out several new additions in a revamped receiver room. Austin is our Saints Player of the Day, so we take a look at his background as our countdown to kickoff series rolls on.

Name (age): Kevin Austin Jr (26)
Hometown: Coconut Creek, Fla.
Position: Wide receiver
Height, weight: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds
College: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Relative Athletic Score: 9.89
Drafted: Undrafted in 2022 ( Jacksonville Jaguars )
NFL experience: 2 years
2026 salary cap hit: $1.08 million

A four-star high school recruit, Austin transferred from Western High School in Florida to North Broward Preparatory School for his senior year before committing to the University of Notre Dame. He'd play sparingly in 11 games for the Fighting Irish as a freshman in 2018, catching 5 passes for 90 yards. Austin was suspended by the team for the entire 2019 season for violation of team rules, then played in only two games in 2020 because of a foot injury. He finally showcased what he could do during the 2021 campaign, pulling in 48 receptions for 888 yards and 7 scores. Austin led the 2021 Fighting Irish and all independent schools in receiving yardage and touchdown receptions.

After not getting selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Austin was signed by Jacksonville Jaguars . The Jaguars released him during the preseason but brought him back to their practice squad. He'd spend the year on the practice squad without any regular season action, then was released by Jacksonville again at the end of the 2023 preseason. The Birmingham Stallions of the UFL (United Football League) signed Austin for their 2024 spring season. Austin caught 15 passes for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns for the Stallions in 10 games. Birmingham would go on to win the UFL championship. That offseason, the Stallions released Austin from his contract to sign with the New Orleans Saints . He'd catch 2 of his 6 targets in three preseason outings with New Orleans, resulting in 18 yards. The Saints released him at the end of the 2024 preseason but re-signed him to the practice squad.

Injuries hit the Saints receiving corps hard in 2024. As a result, Austin was promoted to the active roster at mid-season and played the final eight games with two starts. He appeared in 66% of the offensive snaps over that stretch, catching 11 of 22 targets for 151 yards but no touchdowns. Last year, Austin was again released by the Saints at the end of the preseason but immediately brought back to the practice squad.

Once again, injuries and personnel moves necessitated Austin being used. He played in one game early in the year, then all of the last seven contests. In that span, Austin caught 13 of 23 targets for 140 yards. Included among those was his first career touchdown, a 10-yard go-ahead score in a victory over the Tennessee Titans . In all, he played 242 offensive snaps with another 18 on special teams.

Kevin Austin Jr seemed to have a decent chemistry with rookie quarterback Tyler Shough . However, Austin will definitely need to step up his game to be a factor for a roster spot this season. The Saints added wideouts Jordyn Tyson, Bryce Lance, and Barion Brown through the draft and are getting Ja'Lynn Polk, Trey Palmer , and Bub Means back from injury. That's along with returning star Chris Olave and other returning contributors in Mason Tipton and Ronnie Bell . Austin has been a valuable fall-back option for New Orleans in each of the last two years, but competition for every spot will be a lot more fiercely fought for in 2026.