Wednesday marks 32 days until the New Orleans Saints open their 2026 regular season. The Saints will be on the road for their season opener, playing at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Running back Ty Chandler is wearing No. 32 for New Orleans through training camp.
A free agent addition this offseason, Chandler looks to carve out a role in a crowded running back room. If he does, he’ll become the 26th player in New Orleans history to wear the No. 32 jersey. Our countdown to kickoff series looks through all who did it.
Saints History of No. 32
- RB Tom Barrington (1967-70)
- RB Lincoln Minor (1973)
- S Jimmy DeRatt (1975)
- RB Kim Jones (1976-79)
- RB Scott Stauch (1981)
- S Vernon Perry (1983)
- CB Darrel Toussaint (1987)
- RB Paul Frazier (1989)
- CB Mark Lee (1991)
- RB Vaughn Dunbar (1992-95)
- RB Earnest Hunter (1996)
- RB Aaron Craver (1998-99)
- RB Jerald Moore (2000)
- RB Ki-Jana Carter (2003-04)
- RB Antowain Smith (2005)
- CB Jabari Greer (2009)
- CB Johnny Patrick (2011-12)
- S Kenny Vaccaro (2013-17)
- RB Jonathan Williams (2018)
- CB Josh Robinson (2018)
- S T.J. Green (2019)
- RB Michael Burton (2020)
- CB Bryce Thompson (2021-22)
- S Tyrann Mathieu (2023-25)
- P Kai Kroeger (2025)
- RB Ty Chandler (current)
Running back Tom Barrington was the first to wear 32 for the Saints, suiting up in 51 games over the first four years of franchise history. Barrington rushed for a total of 493 yards and 3 scores with New Orleans, tying for the second longest stint for any player who wore No. 32 for the team. Jeremy DeRatt was the first defensive player to wear the number for the franchise but played only six games in one season with the Saints. DeRatt was one of 16 players that wore 32 for one year or less for New Orleans.
It would take until 1992 and 10 previous players wearing it until the Saints drafted a player who wore No. 32. That was Vaughn Dunbar, a first-round choice in the NFL 1992 draft. Dunbar played three seasons for New Orleans as a solid backup, gaining 636 yards from scrimmage, including a team-high 565 rushing yards as a rookie. However, his overall production was disappointing, considering his draft status and the fact he was the second back selected in that year’s draft.
New Orleans tried two different Round 1 cast-offs from other teams that wore No. 32 for them in the early 2000s. The first was Ki-Jana Carter, the first overall choice in the 1995 draft was suffered a catastrophic knee injury as a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals. Trying to resurrect his career with New Orleans, Carter played just 10 games for the Saints over two seasons and rushed for 89 yards. A first -round choice (21st overall) with the Buffalo Bills in 1997, Antowain Smith had slightly more success in one year as a Saint, but not much. Smith was the leading rusher during the team’s disastrous Hurricane Katrina season of 2005, but picked up only 659 yards after the season-ending knee injury to top back Deuce McAllister.
Jabari Greer played five years with New Orleans, but wore No. 32 only during his first year with the team in 2009. He was a key contributor from the start, intercepting two passes with one touchdown return as an instrumental part of the team’s Super Bowl XLIV championship defense. Johnny Patrick followed Greer in the 32 jersey as a Round 3 choice in the 2011 draft. Patrick was a disappointment, playing only two seasons with New Orleans and recording one interception in 28 games as mostly a reserve defensive back.
Kenny Vaccaro was the highest-drafted player by the Saints to wear the 32 jersey. The 15th overall choice in Round 1 of the 2013 draft from the Texas Longhorns, Vaccaro’s 68 games with New Orleans is the longest by any to wear No. 32. Vaccaro had 8 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles, and 7.5 sacks with the Saints. Despite those decent numbers, he was also susceptible to big plays and rarely made the big plays in favor of his defense.
Five players wore No. 32 over a five-year stretch between Vaccaro and the 2022 arrival of Louisiana local favorite Tyrann Mathieu. All wore it for less than a full season. A legend at St. Augustine High School and the LSU Tigers, Mathieu came home to New Orleans in his 10th NFL season. It turned out that he’d wrap up his NFL career in a New Orleans No. 32 jersey.
Mathieu played 51 games with the Saints, tied for the second longest tenure of anyone to wear 32. His tackling was often an issue, but he still had outstanding instincts and baited opposing quarterbacks like an expert. Mathieu had 10 interceptions as a Saint, leading the team during all three of his seasons in that category. He returned one of those picks for a score while adding 5 fumbles either forced or recovered. Mathieu retired as 2025 training camp began, leaving as probably the best player to wear No. 32 for his hometown team.
Kai Kroeger was given the 32 jersey after Mathieu’s retirement. Kroeger lasted only one season as the team’s punter, ranking at the bottom of the NFL in nearly every category. The No. 32 jersey now goes to Chandler, a free-agent pickup from the Minnesota Vikings. Chandler’s chances of making the team look somewhat slim. However, his abilities as a kick returner could earn him a role on the roster.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 32 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 32 jersey
