The newest members of the #Saints Hall of Fame: @Harp41 and @J_7TRE_E 🙌 pic.twitter.com/7CKqDRZmJB
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) November 5, 2021
New Orleans Saints fans attending this week’s game with the Atlanta Falcons are in for an extra treat: the Saints Hall of Fame will be inducting two Super Bowl XLIV champions to the list of honorees in strong safety Roman Harper and right guard Jahri Evans. The decision to induct both retired players was announced in June 2020, but the Saints opted to wait until the Caesars Superdome could give them a warmer reception in 2021.
Harper and Evans will join a host of their former Saints teammates in the team’s Hall of Fame, which includes Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Pierre Thomas, Jonathan Vilma, Carl Nicks, and the late Will Smith, among many others. Here’s what I wrote on the pair following last summer’s announcement:
Harper, who recently accepted a position with ESPN’s college football broadcast team, spent 9 of the 11 years he played in the NFL with New Orleans. He earned two Pro Bowl nods and helped win Super Bowl XLIV, ultimately suiting up for 132 games in black and gold (including the playoffs). He retired following the 2016 season, bowing out with the Saints after spending two seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Additionally, Evans was a six-time Pro Bowler during his 11-year Saints career, including four appearances on the All-Pro first-team list. The right guard retired after the 2017 season, appearing in 14 games with the Green Bay Packers (all starts). He also won a title in Super Bowl XLIV and started all 179 games he played for the Saints, including the postseason.
What better time for these two Saints legends to get the recognition they deserve than in front of a 70,000-strong crowd turning up for a heated divisional rivalry game? Let’s hurry up and get on to Sunday.
