New Orleans Saints Single-Season NFL Records To Watch This Season

NFL team records often read like a history book, highlighting some of the top performers through the existence of a franchise like the New Orleans Saints. Single game records usually have the most diversity. Career records and those for a single season are often more tilted towards recency. This is especially true for the offensive players because of relaxed rules that favor that side of the ball and additional games during the season.

When the New Orleans Saints began their inaugural season in 1967, the NFL had a 14-game regular season schedule. That remained the case until 1978, when the league expanded to a 16-game season. It was a format that remained for 43 years, until Roger Goodell led a change to a 17-game schedule in 2021. An additional 18th game is expected to be added by his ridiculous regime in the very near future.

Here is a list of the significant single-season records for the Saints. Listed are the top two performers in each category, along with the most likely player on the team that could break it in 2024-25.

Passing Yards

• 5,476 (Drew Brees - 2011)
• 5,208 (Brees - 2016)

Passing Touchdowns

• 46 (Brees - 2011)
• 43 (Brees - 2012)

Completion Percentage

• 74.4% (Brees - 2018)
• 74.3% (Brees -2019)

Drew Brees has the top 13 passing yardage marks in team history, the top 11 years for touchdown passes, and the top 14 for completions. There is a reason why Brees is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game.

Derek Carr enters his second season as the New Orleans signal caller. Despite the desire of a large portion of the fan base to have him replaced, that simply won't happen this year. Carr, 33, had 3,878 yards with 25 touchdowns, eight interceptions, and a 68.4% completion percentage last season.

Aside from Brees, Carr's yardage output was second only to Jim Everett (3,970 in 1995) in franchise history. After coming on strong to end last season, Carr is expected to have a much better year under new Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. However, it's hard to envision Carr coming close to any of the records that Brees owns.

Rushing Yards

• 1,674 (George Rogers - 1981)
• 1,641 (Deuce McAllister - 2003)

Rushing Touchdowns

• 16 (Alvin Kamara - 2020)
• 14 (Kamara - 2018)

Receptions (RB)

• 88 (Reggie Bush - 2006)
• 86 (Darren Sproles - 2011)

Receiving Yards (RB)

• 826 (Kamara - 2017)
• 756 (Kamara - 2020)

Rogers had a magnificent 1981 season that resulted in him winning 1981 Offensive Rookie of the Year. Unfortunately for him and the Saints, substance abuse issues short-circuited what was a promising career. McAllister was another case of ''what-if'', but his career was ultimately cut short by knee injuries.

Kamara, the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, has as much talent as any back in the league. Now that he has an offensive coordinator that likely recognizes his lethal versatility, we should expect a big season after a couple down years statistically.

It's hard to imagine Kamara, who has never had a 1,000-yard rushing season, suddenly erupting for 1,500+ on the ground. With other rushing weapons like Kendre Miller, Jamaal Williams, and Taysom Hill present, it's much easier to picture Kamara being used as the duel runner-receiver we saw in the first four years of his career.

Receptions

• 149 (Michael Thomas - 2019)
• 125 ( Thomas - 2018)

Receiving Yards

• 1,725 (Thomas - 2019)
• 1,405 (Thomas - 2018)

Receiving Touchdowns

• 16 (Jimmy Graham - 2013)
• 11 (Joe Horn - 2004)
• 11 (Marques Colston - 2007)
• 11 (Graham - 2011)

Thomas broke a 17-year NFL single-season record with his 149 catches, helping him to 2019 Offensive Player of the Year honors. His several single-season records surpassed those held by Horn and Colston, also two of the best players in team history. There is little doubt that Graham was on his way to a Hall of Fame career before being traded away in 2015. Thomas was undoubtedly on that same trajectory before being ravaged by injuries since 2020.

Chris Olave looks poised to become the next superstar New Orleans pass catcher. Olave has surpassed 1,000 yards in his first two seasons, joining only Thomas and Colston to accomplish the feat. A terrific deep threat, Olave is equally outstanding as a route runner or after shorter receptions.

Olave is coming off 87 catches for 1,123 yards in 2023, but has just nine career touchdowns in two years. He has the abilities of an elite receiver and will face heightened expectations in 2024. With other excellent pass catchers like Kamara, Rashid Shaheed, and Juwan Johnson present, it might be a stretch for Olave to surpass the numbers by Thomas, Horn, Colston, and Graham.

Total Touchdowns

• 21 (Alvin Kamara - 2020)
• 18 (Dalton Hilliard - 1989)
• 18 (Kamara - 2018)

Extra Points

• 63 (John Kasay - 2011)
• 57 (Garrett Hartley - 2012)
• 57 (Wil Lutz - 2020)

Field Goals

• 32 (Wil Lutz - 2019)
• 31 (Morten Andersen - 1985)
• 31 (John Carney - 2002)
• 31 (Lutz - 2017)

Often forgotten is what a terrific all-purpose threat that Dalton Hilliard was for the Saints through the late-1980s. Kamara, as mentioned, is one of the best all-around weapons in the game today. After only 10 combined scores the last two seasons, we should see that total rise to Kamara's early career standards in an offense that helped RB Christian McCaffrey to Offensive Player of the Year honors last season.

Under Sean Payton and Drew Brees, New Orleans had one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. The kickers were a beneficiary of the attack, but the Saints also had some good ones. Andersen has a rightful place in the Hall of Fame. Lutz was one of the most consistent kickers in the league from any range. Hartley was responsible for one of the most memorable kicks in franchise history and also holds a Super Bowl record.

Blake Grupe had some costly inconsistencies in his first year as New Orleans kicker, and will face some training camp competition as a result. However, Grupe also showed some decent range while converting 30 field goals and 40 extra points. Worth noting is that Grupe made six field goals of over 50 yards last year, a single-season franchise record. An improved offense under Kubiak would obviously mean significant better numbers from the kicker position.

Interceptions

• 10 (Dave Whitsell - 1967)
• 9 (Dave Waymer - 1986)
• 9 (Darren Sharper - 2009)

Whitsell was one of the few standouts for the expansion Saints in their inaugural season and holds the longest team single-season record. Waymer, also the team's career interception leader with 37, is a somewhat forgotten star on an elite New Orleans defense through the late-1980s that featured the Dome Patrol linebacking corps.

The Saints have arguably the NFL's best defensive backfield heading into this season. Ballhawking veteran Tyrann Mathieu leads an otherwise young safety group. Shutdown CB Marshon Lattimore and emerging Paulson Adebo head up the league's finest foursome of cornerbacks.

Mathieu, Lattimore, Adebo, and Alontae Taylor are proven playmakers on the back end. New Orleans also had 18 interceptions last year, tied for second most in the league. Nine or 10 interceptions by a single player in today's NFL featuring offenses is a tall task, but the Saints have several defensive playmakers capable of doing it.

Sacks (officially tracked since 1982)

• 17 (Pat Swilling - 1991)
• 17 (La'Roi Glover - 2000)
• 16.5 (Swilling - 1989)

It's beyond ludicrous that Pat Swilling is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The 1991 Defensive Player of the Year and only Saint to ever receive the honor, Swilling struck fear into opposing offenses during all seven of his years with New Orleans.
Glover was equally disruptive for an outstanding Saints defensive line through the late 1990s until 2001. One of the most prolific defensive tackles of his era, he could end up getting his bust in the Hall of Fame, a much-deserved honor.

On paper, the most likely player to threaten these records is Cameron Jordan. Entering his 14th season, Jordan needs only six sacks to surpass Dome Patrol LB and NFL Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson as the unofficial career sack leader for the Saints. Jordan has 117.5 career sacks, second among active players, including six seasons of double-digit sack totals. His 15.5 in 2019 is the third best in franchise history.

Jordan's production has dipped in recent seasons. Perhaps as a result of decline due to age, but he's also been slowed nagging injuries over the last two years. It's possible that a new sack leader emerges for New Orleans, such as Carl Granderson, free-agent addition Chase Young, or second-year DT Bryan Bresee.

As a team, the Saints certainly need great improvement over the 34 sacks their defense had last season. For New Orleans, improving their overall record and team performance takes priority over individual records as the 2024-25 season approaches, but some may naturally fall if the Saints have a successful campaign.