After signing two impact free agents, any team’s fan base would be excited. But for the New Orleans Saints, things were different after signing veterans Tyrann Mathieu and Jarvis Landry. More than landing a pair of key free agents at positions of need, both Landry and Mathieu return to New Orleans as hometown heroes.
Landry starred at Lutcher High School in nearby Metairie, while Mathieu was a multi-sport fixture at St. Augustine High School in the heart of New Orleans. They went on to briefly play together with the LSU Tigers, and now they’ll be wearing black and gold. It’s safe to say they’ll have a lot of supporters crowding the Caesars Superdome on Sundays.
Both Pro Bowlers had early visits with the team as free agents and continued contact until their deals were finalized after the 2022 NFL draft. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was present this week for the Saints Hall of Fame Golf Classic where he met with New Orleans media and described the specificity of the situation.
“Both these guys, Tyrann and Jarvis, it’s a little bit unique,” Loomis said. “When you bring somebody back to their home state and their home territory and just the excitement that those guys had.”
That excitement didn’t stop at the players themselves. Teammates, fans and players from other NFL clubs expressed their excitement following the moves. Loomis also quipped that the team would have wanted both of these players even if they had been from New Jersey. So for the Saints, this was business as usual. Trying to build the best team possible. But there’s no denying that the excitement generated around the homecoming element of each move is meaningful and unique.
