Keith Mitchell, a former New Orleans Saints linebacker and Pro Bowl selection, has died at age 51, according to a report by KBTX-TV in Bryan, Texas.
Mitchell arrived in New Orleans in 1997 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M and carved out a long run as both a starter and a key special teams player. Over five seasons with the Saints from 1997 to 2001, he piled up 272 solo tackles, including 20 tackles for loss.
His biggest year came in 2000, when he helped power a Saints team that won the NFC West Division title and earned the first playoff victory in franchise history. In New Orleans’ 31-28 win over the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Wild Card playoffs, Mitchell recorded three tackles and sacked Rams quarterback Kurt Warner.
That same season, he also made his mark on the scoreboard. Mitchell returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown in a 21-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, then brought back a fumble 90 yards for another touchdown in a 20-10 win against the Carolina Panthers.
Mitchell is one of just eight linebackers in Saints franchise history to make the Pro Bowl. He wrapped up his NFL career with one-year stops in Houston and Jacksonville, playing for the Texans and Jaguars.
Before the NFL, Mitchell was part of Texas A&M’s famed “Wrecking Crew” defense from 1993-96. He earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995, then followed that with an All-Big 12 selection and a College Football News All-America nod in 1996.
In Other News...
Giants Fans Just Got A New Reason To Watch Dart Closely
The Giants spent the 2026 offseason reshaping the roster around a new coaching voice, bringing in John Harbaugh and layering in veterans such as Isaiah Likely, Tremaine Edmunds, Greg Newsome II, DJ Reader and Shelby Harris. They also added Arvell Reese, Colton Hood and Malachi Fields in a draft class that drew strong reviews across the league, giving the team a noticeably different look before a snap has been played.
Amid all that turnover, Jaxson Dart has become one of the more interesting figures to watch. Jameis Winston has already praised Darts work ethic, and the young quarterback enters the year with plenty of attention on how he handles a bigger stage and a retooled supporting cast. The upside is obvious, but so is the pressure to clean up some of the pocket habits that showed up in 2025. [Read more 🡒]
Tremaine Edmunds Might Be The Giants Fix Fans Stopped Believing In
The Giants went into the offseason knowing the middle of their defense needed more than a tweak. Last seasons run defense lived near the bottom of the league, and the signing of Tremaine Edmunds was aimed at giving the unit more size, experience and reliable tackling in a spot where opponents had too much room to work.
Edmunds is expected to be the steady starting point New York has been missing, but the rest of the linebacker room is still sorting itself out. Micah McFadden is fighting for his role, Arvell Reese still has to earn snaps, and the Giants are banking on Edmunds to bring some order to a position group that has not offered much of it lately. [Read more 🡒]
Jaxson Dart Just Entered A Debate Giants Fans Will Love
A recent NFL Media mock draft built around each players 2026 outlook gave Giants fans a little jolt of validation, because Jaxson Dart was treated like a quarterback whose stock is rising fast enough to belong in a conversation with established names. The exercise was not about where players were drafted originally, but about how they are viewed now, and Darts inclusion in that kind of discussion says plenty about the buzz he has already created.
Jalen Hurts is the other half of the debate, and the contrast is what makes it interesting for New York. Hurts has a Super Bowl ring, but he is also drawing fresh scrutiny around leadership, long-term viability and whether he is more of a system quarterback than a true team-elevator, while Dart is being framed as a young passer with legitimate upside and the kind of maturity that has helped his reputation grow quickly. For Giants fans, it is the sort of quarterback conversation that feels less like idle chatter and more like a sign that their own future at the position is starting to get noticed. [Read more 🡒]