With eight days left before the New Orleans Saints open the regular season against the Detroit Lions, the countdown lands on a familiar name and the only one ever to wear No. 8 in Saints history: Archie Manning.
Elisha Archibald Manning III, now 77, was a 6-foot-3, 212-pound quarterback from Drew, Miss., who starred at Mississippi before the Saints made him the second overall pick in the 1971 NFL Draft. Jim Plunkett went first, but Manning became the face of New Orleans football.
He was a decorated college player long before that. Manning was drafted by a major league baseball team four separate times, but chose football and built an Ole Miss résumé that included two first-team All-SEC selections, a 1969 first-team All-American nod, SEC Player of the Year honors in 1969 and eventual inclusion on the SEC All-Time team after his No. 18 jersey was retired by Mississippi.
The Saints made a big bet on him in 1971, and in one key way they have never done it again: Manning remains the only quarterback New Orleans has ever taken in the first round. The team didn’t even take another quarterback in the second round until Tyler Shough went 40th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
What followed in New Orleans was a long, punishing run. Manning started 129 of his 134 games with the Saints and went 35-91-3, a .272 winning percentage.
He took a brutal beating along the way, though he missed more than three games only three times outside of the 1976 season, when a shoulder injury kept him out entirely. The Saints did not do him many favors in terms of talent around him, although the offense did feature plenty of skill-position help late in his New Orleans years.
Manning was traded to the Houston Oilers during the 1982 season. He finished his career with five more years split between Houston and the Minnesota Vikings, going 0-10 as a starter in that stretch.
Even with the team results, his place in Saints history is secure. He and Danny Abramowicz were the first two players inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 1988, and Manning was among the first players chosen for the Saints Ring of Honor when it was created in 2013, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famers Rickey Jackson and Willie Roaf.
His Saints numbers still stand out on the franchise ledger: a 55.4% completion rate, 21,734 passing yards, 115 passing touchdowns, 18 rushing scores and 156 interceptions. He trails only Drew Brees in Saints history in passing yards, completions and attempts, and ranks third in touchdown passes. Manning also earned two Pro Bowl selections, in 1978 and 1979, and was named the 1978 UPI and Sporting News NFC Player of the Year.
And of course, the Manning football line keeps rolling. Archie is the father of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and possible Hall of Famer Eli Manning, while his grandson Arch Manning is the current quarterback at Texas and a 2026 Heisman Trophy favorite.
In Other News...
Saints Suddenly Have A Defensive Tackle Battle Worth Watching
The Saints entered the offseason with real questions up front after Bryan Bresees season-ending injury left their defensive tackle room looking thin. They answered part of that concern by taking rookie Christen Miller in the second round of the NFL Draft, and he has already made the most of his preseason opportunities, enough to put some pressure on veteran Davon Godchaux for a starting job.
Colby Woodens arrival after the 53-man roster deadline only adds another wrinkle to a position group that has gone from vulnerable to suddenly interesting. For New Orleans, the issue is no longer simply whether it has enough bodies inside, but how the rotation sorts itself out when there are legitimate snaps to be won and the competition is still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Price Is Suddenly Pushing For More Than A Saints Roster Spot
Jayden Price has gone from the fringe of the league to a real part of the Saints' plans, earning his first place on the 53-man active roster after spending last season on the practice squad and working his way through other leagues. His preseason opener only strengthened that case, when he picked off a pass and gave the staff another reminder that his path to New Orleans was built on persistence as much as promise.
Now Price is sitting behind Jonas Sanker at slot cornerback, but that does not make him an afterthought. The Saints can also use him in dime defensive back looks, which gives him a chance to matter in more than one way as the season unfolds. For a player whose NFL future once looked much less certain, simply making the roster was a milestone, but the more interesting question is how much more his role can grow from here. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Veterans Are Suddenly Under Real Pressure From Rising Young Defenders
Training camp has a way of exposing the depth chart before the first meaningful snap, and that is especially true for a Saints roster that is suddenly looking a little crowded in a few key spots. At linebacker, defensive tackle and right guard, veterans are no longer just being evaluated on what they have done in the past, but on how well they can hold off younger players pushing hard for larger roles.
Pete Werner and Davon Godchaux are among the names worth watching as the competition tightens, while Danny Stutsman and Christen Miller have given the staff reasons to keep an open mind about the future. If those younger defenders keep making noise, New Orleans could find itself with more than just a healthy battle for snaps. It could have a few decisions to make about whether every veteran still fits into the long-term picture. [Read more 🡒]