Da Boot Sports 8/27/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: CCS Staff The New Orleans Saints announced Friday, Aug. 27 that due to the impending impact of Hurricane Ida on the Gulf Coast region that the team’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals has been canceled. The game, which was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug 28 was moved to noon at the Caesars Superdome. Due to the intensification of the hurricane throughout the day and after the most recent tropical update, the team’s leadership has made the decision in the best interests of all personnel that may have been directly and indirectly affected by the storm. This announcement comes after constant communications with City of New Orleans officials, the National Weather Service, Homeland Security, Governor Edwards and leading state officials and the National Football League. The team encourages all residents of the region to take precautionary measures to remain safe throughout the impending hurricane. The Saints will be in communication with season ticket account holders regarding applicable refunds and/or credits to their season ticket accounts.
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Saints-Cardinals preseason game moved to noon kickoff time Saturday due to hurricane threat8/27/2021 Da Boot Sports 8/27/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: CCS Staff The New Orleans Saints have announced that the kickoff time of the team’s Saturday, Aug. 28 preseason finale vs. the Arizona Cardinals in the Caesars Superdome has been moved from 7 p.m. CT to noon CT (official kickoff time is 12:02 p.m.). The change was made for proper and safe preparations regarding the potential landfall of Hurricane Ida and following consultation and agreement with City of New Orleans officials, the National Weather Service, Homeland Security and the NFL. 2021 New Orleans Saints Broadcast Information Preseason Week 3 | Vs. Arizona Cardinals | Saturday, August 28, 2021 | 12:00 P.M. (CST) | Caesars Superdome The New Orleans Saints host the Arizona Cardinals for the team’s final preseason contest of the 2021 season on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at 12:00 P.M. CST. Below outlines when and where you can watch, listen, and follow game coverage: Saints APP 11:00 A.M. (CST): New Orleans Saints Pregame Show – John DeShazier and Erin Summers reflect on 2021 Saints Training Camp while providing insight into the Saints final preseason matchup against the Cardinals. TV 12:00 P.M. (CST): Gray Television Network (WVUE FOX 8) – Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Saints Legends Jon Stinchcomb, Jonathan Vilma (color analysts) and Meghan Payton (sideline) will bring you all the action. LOCAL RADIO 12:00 P.M. (CST): WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Mike Hoss (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) Da Boot Sports 8/27/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: CCS Staff NEW ORLEANS, LA: What was assumed is all but official. Jameis Winston will be the Saints’ starting quarterback to open the season when New Orleans hosts the Green Bay Packers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported Friday via sources. The 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick by Tampa Bay spent five seasons with the Bucs before signing in 2020 with New Orleans and serving as one of Drew Brees’ backups with Taysom Hill. The 27-year old Winston beat out Hill for the opener starting role this preseason. Da Boot Sports 8/24/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By Ken Trahan The lingering question for the New Orleans Saints before their preseason game with Jacksonville was who would the starting quarterback be? The answer came swiftly and decisively from Jameis Winston, who was scintillating from his first snap to his last. It would not be a surprise to see Winston announced as the starter this week. He certainly earned it. With the situation settled, it enables Sean Payton to begin his scheming to return Hill to his wild card/joker role, lining him up at tight end, as a wide receiver and even at running back. Of course, Hill can still take some snaps at quarterback, as he has done the last few years. It was a nice performance overall by the primary players before the most fans we have seen in two years in what is now Caesars Superdome. Of course, there were many empty seats, being a preseason game and in the midst of a pandemic. Here are my Quick Takes on the 23-21 win over Jacksonville: **Cam Jordan led the pre-game “Who Dat” chant with the fans, whose sound was a bit muffled by the masks they were wearing. **Ty Montgomery handled the opening kickoff return. **Saints starters were on the field on offense, other than Tony Jones starting at running back. **Jameis Winston quickly asserted himself on the opening drive, taking the Saints 72 yards in six plays, taking 2:43 off the clock. **Winston connected with Marquez Callaway on a 43-yard touchdown pass over two defenders. Callaway made the catch despite being blatant pass interference. It was impressive on both ends as the Saints grabbed an early 7-0 lead with 12:17 to play in the opening quarter. **Nolan Cooney, not Aldrick Rosas, kicked off for the Saints following the touchdown. **C.J. Gardner Johnson had a pair of tackles on the opening defensive possession as Jacksonville went three-and-out. **Shy Tuttle and Jalen Dalton opened at the defensive tackle spots. All other starters were on the field defensively. **The Saints forced a three-and-out and got good field position but a pair of false start penalties, one each on Erik McCoy and Ryan Ramczyk, killed the drive and New Orleans had to punt. **Adam Trautman left with an injury and was carted off while Brian Poole limped off in the first quarter. **Winston then engineered another touchdown drive, going 57 yards in six plays, taking 3:06 to do so with Winston hitting Callaway with a perfect dime on a 30-yard touchdown pass against tight coverage by Shaquill Griffin. It was simply a perfect throw. **Taysom Hill took over at quarterback with second team players on the final series of the first quarter and he was sacked by Jihad Ward on third down to force a punt. **The next series resulted in another three-and-out with Hill again being sacked on third down after holding the ball a bit too long. **Blake Gillikin blasted a 63-yard punt early in the second quarter, his second blast in as many games. It is easy to see why the Saints protected him last year with Thomas Morstead still on the roster. **Jacksonville finally mounted a drive to produce points, going 12 plays, 57 yards in 5:43 with Josh Lambo connecting on a 34-yard field goal to make it 14-3 with six minutes to play in the first half. **Hill finally got it going with a pair of 25-yard completions to Lil’Jordan Humphrey on the next possession but on a fourth-and-three from the Jacksonville 34-yard line, he held the ball too long, a consistent issue, and threw incomplete, killing the drive. **Jalen Dalton, who is battling for a roster spot and looking good to get a spot, had a key sack of Trevor Lawrence to stall a good Jacksonville drive late in the first half. Lambo came on and missed a 43-yard field goal, hitting the right upright, with 36 seconds left in the half. **Hill got his team points before the half, driving the Saints 33 yards in 10 plays, taking just 36 seconds with Rosas banging home a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to make it 17-3 at the half. In his regular season career, Rosas is 10-of-14 from 50 yards and beyond, a real strength. **New Orleans amassed 225 yards of offense in the first half, 195 of those passing. **Each team had 34 offensive snaps in the half. **Jacksonville had a long drive to start the second half but the Saints held. **Hill remained in the game but could not get anything going on the first possession of the second half. **Then, Hill engineered a good drive resulting in a score, going 76 yards in eight plays, taking 4:07 off the clock with Hill connecting with Humphrey on a 14-yard touchdown pass to make it 23-3 with 1:27 to play in the third quarter. **Unfortunately, Rosas missed the extra point. **It was Humphrey’s second touchdown reception in as many games. With his size, he has the ability to be a weapon in the red zone. **Hill finished 11-of-20 for 138 yards and a touchdown. Interestingly, Hill has not run the ball once in two games, a strength of his game. **Jacksonville had a nice drive which reached the New Orleans one-yard line but Wynton McManis came up with an interception. McManis later had a big hit as well. **C.J. Beathard then guided the Jaguars to a touchdown, driving 74 yards in seven plays, taking 1:35 off the clock with Beathard hitting Jeff Cotton on a three-yard touchdown pass to make it 23-13 with 5:19 to play in the game. **A pair of secondary players, Eric Burrell and Bryan Mills each got hurt in the final quarter. **Beathard then hit a wide open Collin Johnson on a 24-yard touchdown pass to make it 23-19 with 2:46 to play. On the play, Natrell Jamerson was looking in the backfield, stopped running, and that left Johnson wide open. Then, Beathard hit Nathan Cottrell for the two-point conversion to make it 23-21. The drive covered 50 yards in seven plays, taking 1:32 off the clock. **Trevor Siemian played the fourth quarter for New Orleans, going 4-for-8 for 59 yards. Siemian hit Dwayne Washington on a 33-yard pass to put the game away with two minutes left. **David Onyemata came on in the fourth quarter to take snaps defensively. The stars were clear on this night in Winston and Callaway, who caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns. Winston got the ball down the field, something the Saints have lacked recently, certainly last year. Once again, Marcus Davenport was very good, as was Gardner-Johnson. Kpassagnon made his presence felt. Ken Crawley played well, as did Dalton. Once again, Paulson Adebo distinguished himself well. Carl Granderson picked up a personal foul in the second half but otherwise, he was a terror, playing very well. The big negative was seeing Trautman leave on a cart with a foot injury. Initial X-rays were negative but Trautman will undergo an MRI on today, according to Adam Schefter. The other big positive, aside from Winston, was the Saints went from six turnovers to none and from 10 penalties to six, compared to the preseason opener against Baltimore. The final preseason game is Saturday night, at home against Arizona. It is doubtful that we will see much of starters, if at all, in the game. Da Boot Sports 8/23/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: CCS Staff We should know who the starting quarterback for the Saints for their regular season opener is before the end of the week. Head coach Sean Payton told NBC’s Peter King that he hopes to name a starter before the final preseason game for New Orleans on Saturday night against Arizona. The battle between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill continues tonight with Winston taking the first Saints snaps against the Jaguars. Hill started the first preseason game at Baltimore. Da Boot Sports 8/22/2021 Article courtesy of WWL Radio Sports By: Jeff Nowak The No. 8 isn't technically retired by the Saints, but no one has worn Archie Manning's number since his final season in New Orleans nearly four decades ago. But with NFL rule changes, single-digit numbers can now be worn by skill position players, leading a pair of players new to the roster to request the No. 8, according to a report from NOLA.com's Jeff Duncan. Those players were second-year wide receiver Easop Winston Jr. and former Falcons and Giants running back Devonta Freeman. Both were told the number was off-limits, according to Duncan, an unofficial tradition to honor Manning that started with former equipment manager Dan Simmons. Current equipment manager John Baumgartner has continued that tradition, though it's a policy that previously only had to contend with specialists and QBs if they picked a single-digit number. Freeman landed on No. 34, while Winston donned No. 18. Both new players can be forgiven for not knowing the policy surrounding Archie's No. 8, but the lone other single-digit number not currently being worn might indicate a new policy emerging. A handful of players have thrown on the No. 6 thus far this season, including Tommylee Lewis, Prince Amukamara, Brett Maher, and now newly signed kicker Aldrick Rosas. Wide receiver Marquez Callaway also took advantage of the new rules to switch from the No. 12 he wore in his rookie season to the No. 1. But no one has yet donned the No. 9 worn for 15 seasons by Drew Brees before his retirement this offseason. Kamara joked after Friday's practice at the Caesars Superdome that he wants a shot at the starting quarterback job, and he'd wear No. 9 in Brees' honor. That seems unlikely, as does any other player taking over the mantle of No. 9, given the history. Da Boot Sports 8/15/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: Ken Trahan It is better to give than to receive. The New Orleans Saints embraced the axiom to its zenith Saturday night. It was the first real impression of a team that is and will look substantially different than the team we last saw losing to Tampa Bay to conclude the 2020 season. On a sunny, hot evening at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, the 2021 New Orleans Saints, or a reasonable representation of who that team will be, debuted. Reality set in when Taysom Hill took the first snap and the realization that Drew Brees was not on the roster for the first time in 5,704 days. Reality then set in as the Saints had five possessions in the first quarter, resulting in four turnovers and no points. Then, the Saints committed three more turnovers in the second half, an astounding six for the game. Then, there were three encroachment penalties on three different defensive linemen in the first half alone. The end result was a 17-14 loss. Of course, several key players did not play, including Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas (of course), Tre’Quan Smith, Ryan Ramczyk, Terron Armstead, Demario Davis, Cam Jordan, Malcolm Jenkins, Marcus Williams and PJ Williams, among others. All in all, it was a mixed bag of the good and lots of bad. Here are my Quick Takes on the 17-14 loss at Baltimore: **Michael Thomas was on the sideline with his teammates, wearing a boot on his left foot. He was even catching passes from Jameis Winston on the sideline. **Ty Montgomery opened as the kickoff return specialist. Deonte Harris is likely to be suspended to start the open of the regular season **It was no surprise that Taysom Hill took the first snap at quarterback. Hill started the four games in 2020 which Brees did not start. Just because Hill took the first snap is not an indication that he will be the starter week one against Green Bay on Sept. 12. **On the first play from scrimmage, Hill hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey perfectly on a short out-route and Humphrey dropped the ball. **Hill responded well, hitting Marquez Callaway for 10 yards on a third-down play to move the chains before throwing a strike to Callaway for 28 yards to the Baltimore 35-yard line. **Hill then defeated a blitz, with Latavius Murray missing a block but Hill bought time moving right and drilled a 23-yard completion to Callaway for a first-and-goal at the Baltimore nine-yard line. **Murray then ruined the drive with a fumble when he was hit by Malik Harrison with DeShon Elliott recovering at the Baltimore eight-yard line. **Hill was 4-of-5 for 62 yards on the drive. **Zack Baun, who has looked good in training camp, then made two plays in succession, one for a one-yard loss on a pass completion and one on a run for just a yard. **David Onyemata got a sack of Trace McSorley on third down, forcing a punt. **The next offensive series resulted in another turnover. After Hill threw wide on a check-down to Murray, Geno Stone picked off Hill on third down. On the play, Montgomery was running a crossing route and was open but he stopped running. Hill threw to the spot he was heading to, leading the receiver but the pick resulted from Montgomery stopping. **Then, on fourth-and-one at the New Orleans 40-yard line, Kaden Elliss stuffed JK Dobbins for a loss of a yard, getting a big stop. **Eastop Winston handled the first punt return. **Hill engineered a drive that reached the Baltimore 37-yard line, including an 11-yard completion to Murray, but former Livonia and LSU star Patrick Queen wrecked the drive, hitting Devonta Freeman for a three-yard loss on a screen pass before sacking Hill to force a punt. **Jameis Winston entered late in the first quarter on the fourth possession of the game. **On his first play, a handoff to Freeman, the new veteran back coughed it up and Justin Madubuike, who made the hit, recovered at the New Orleans 35-yard line. **The first quarter ended on a sack by David Onyemata. **New Orleans held Baltimore to a total of two yards in the first quarter. **Justin Tucker drilled a 56-yard field goal to give Baltimore a 3-0 lead with 14:16 to play in the first half, scoring off the fumble by Freeman. **Tony Jones Jr. ran 28 yards, to the right side, for a first down on the first Saints offensive series of the second quarter and he followed that with a 17-yard run and another first down. **Winston hit Humphrey for 16 yards, a good throw, for a first down. **Then, Jones finished what he started, racing left on an 18-yard touchdown run, diving for the pylon, to give the Saints a 7-3 lead with 11:38 to play in the first half. On the play, Adam Trautman got a very good seal block, allowing Jones to get the edge. **On the drive which covered 80 yards in seven plays, taking 2:38 off the clock, Jones rushed three times for 63 yards and a score. **Defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon went down injured on the next series but he was able to return later in the quarter. **The Ravens got their initial first down with just over 10 minutes to play in the first half. **Baltimore got its first drive of the game, going 52 yards in 13 plays, taking 6:07 off the clock with Jake Verity connecting on a 42-yard field goal to make it 7-6 with 5:31 to play in the half. A pair of penalties by the Ravens stalled the drive. **Dwayne Washington was next to return a kickoff for New Orleans while Chris Hogan was next to line up to return a punt. **Winston, given a good pocket, drilled a 26-yard completion over the middle to Montgomery for a first down. On the play, Jones did a good job picking up the blitz. **Then, Winston, well protected again, hit Juwan Johnson on a 33-yard completion to the Baltimore 20-yard line. **Winston finished the drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Humphrey to make it 14-6 with 1:02 to play in the half. **The drive covered 80 yards in seven plays, taking 1:59 off the clock. Winston completed 5-of-6 passes for 79 yards on the drive with the score. **Then, Bryce Thompson picked off a deep pass by McSorley at the New Orleans 40-yard line. **On the next play, Winston pump faked and tried to go deep for Humphrey. The throw was a tick late and hung up and Stone came up with his second interception of the game. **That led to a 53-yard field goal by Verity on the final play of the half and New Orleans led 14-9 at halftime. **The Ravens started three possessions in New Orleans territory in the first half and came away with just six points. **The Saints had 230 yards to 121 for the Ravens in the half. **Hill was 8-for-12 for 81 yards with an interception while Winston was 7-of-12 for 96 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the half. **Nolan Cooney kicked off to start the second half. **Onyemata played into the third quarter. **Ian Book started the second half for the Saints. **Jones then fumbled it away, killing another drive, at the Baltimore 11-yard line. Book had gone 5-of-8 for 65 yards on the drive. **Baltimore had a nice drive, an 11-play drive, reaching the New Orleans 15-yard line but Tyler Huntley was hit by Eric Burrell, fumbled, and Elliss recovered to kill the drive and keep the lead early in the fourth quarter. Burrell delivered a big hit on a completion later in the quarter as well. **Blake Gillikin blasted a 59-yard punt with outstanding hang time as well and Paulson Adebo made an outstanding, shoestring tackle for no return. **The Ravens then drove 79 yards in 12 plays with Huntley scoring on a seven-yard counter play. After pass interference in the end zone by Prince Amukamara on the two-point conversion attempt, the ball was placed at the one-yard line and Ty’Son Williams ran it in to make it 17-14 with 6:35 to play in the game. **On the final drive of the game, Book got the Saints to the Baltimore 35-yard line on a 38-yard completion to Juwan Johnson but with pressure in his face, he underthrew Kawaan Baker and Shaun Wade picked it off to seal the win for the Ravens. In the final analysis, it was amazing that the Saints were even in the game, considering they turned it over six times. New Orleans was equal opportunity in its turnovers, with six different players, including Hill, Winston, Book, Murray, Freeman and Jones each committing one. Those who were very impressive for the Saints included Adebo, Baun, Burrell, Callaway, Davenport, Elliss, Jones, Onyemata, Johnson and Jones. As for the quarterback battle, Winston had two scoring drives but there was no clear winner. The interception of Hill was not his fault while the pick of Winston was an underthrow and a tad late. Both had good drives and good moments. It would not be a surprise to see Winston get the first reps next week. Book did a solid job in his debut, looking good on bootleg plays while making solid decisions, outside of one poor one. He showed the mobility to buy time and get away from pass rushes. The next audition comes a week from Monday when the Saints host the Jaguars in Ceasars Superdome. You can bet Sean Payton will have ball drills and drill it into his players to secure the football better. Make that much better. Da Boot Sports 8/1/2021 Article courtesy of Crescent City Sports By: Justin Macione NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Saints and Caesars Entertainment announced today the formation of a 20-year, exclusive naming-rights partnership that rebrands New Orleans’ iconic downtown stadium as the Caesars Superdome. Caesars Superdome will host all Saints home football games, and Super Bowl LIX to be played in February 2025. The building will also host the 2022 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the annual Sugar Bowl and College Football Playoff contests, a variety of concerts and hundreds of other annual events including Essence Festival, the Bayou Classic football game between Grambling State and Southern University, the New Orleans Bowl and the Louisiana State High School Athletic Association Football Championships. “All of us at Caesars are proud to be part of New Orleans’ vibrant culture. We understand that the Caesars Superdome is more than an iconic venue, it’s the symbol of a resilient and innovative community,” said Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars Entertainment. “We’ve had a strong relationship with the New Orleans Saints for nearly two decades and we are thrilled with the opportunity to strengthen it and celebrate our commitment to the city, the state, and the entire Gulf Coast region.” In the last five years, Caesars Entertainment has led with its heart in the Pelican State, giving more than $30 million directly into community non-profits and services. Through a combination of volunteer hours, grants from the Caesars Foundation, and donations supporting local non-profit programs dedicated to disadvantaged populations, tourism, and infrastructure, Caesars remains committed to the state of Louisiana and its residents. Caesars Superdome will stand as testament to Caesars’ commitment to the New Orleans Saints and to the city of New Orleans as it embarks on a $325 million renovation to transform Harrah’s New Orleans into Caesars New Orleans. “This partnership sends a strong message about the positive future for the New Orleans Saints, Caesars Entertainment, and the entire state of Louisiana,” said Saints Owner Gayle Benson. “That message states that companies with the global reach of Caesars Entertainment are investing in our city, state and region. Caesars has long been one of the world’s most respected entertainment companies. Caesars is in the midst of creating a first-class multi-million dollar entertainment facility in downtown New Orleans, this significant investment also demonstrates the strength of their commitment to our state and region. We are proud to partner with a company that is dedicated to the economic growth of our city, state and region.” The agreement between the Saints and Caesars Entertainment represents a union between two iconic companies and brands that are built on creating economic growth in their communities. Both are engaged in spearheading expansive projects, which will help spur significant economic growth for the state of Louisiana and the entire region. “Having faced a very trying 2020 with the Covid-19 Pandemic, this is wonderful news to see that two iconic brands like the Saints and Caesars are partnering on a long-term business deal that will not only benefit New Orleans, but the entire State,” said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards. “I congratulate Mrs. Benson and her team on securing this partnership. Caesars Superdome is an iconic building, globally recognized and I am certain that Caesars will be very pleased having their name on the building that will be hosting future Super Bowls, Final Fours, and Essence Festivals, to name a few.” “In addition to being one of the world’s premier entertainment operators, the investment Caesars Entertainment is making into its downtown property that is being transformed into Caesars New Orleans will create an impact that will be felt throughout our entire state and region for many years,” said Saints President Dennis Lauscha. “Caesars is a great partner for the Saints and the region, as they are investing $325 million into their downtown facility, while at the same time, significant work and investment is being made into making our playing facility state-of-the-art not only for Saints football, but multiple major events that benefit the entire community. In 2009, when the Saints and State reached their new agreement, the team took on the responsibility of selling the naming rights to the Caesars Superdome; a model that has resulted in no lease generated general fund requests from the State. The team has brought two iconic global brands in Mercedes-Benz and now Caesars Entertainment to this state-owned building. This agreement represents a tremendous opportunity for the New Orleans Saints franchise and further entrenches Caesars Entertainment as one of the region’s leading and dedicated corporate citizens.” “The partnership between the Superdome and Caesars Entertainment represents a powerful combination of two legendary entertainment brands,” said Michael Hecht, President & CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “The Superdome contributes close to $600 million in annual economic impact to the state of Louisiana, and Caesars is the largest gaming company in America. Together, they will ensure that our iconic stadium drives even more jobs, tax revenue, and global brand awareness for New Orleans and Louisiana. The fact that Caesars Superdome is so integral to the culture of New Orleans, and that Caesars is well-known as a community-oriented company, makes this partnership that much more compelling and promising for our collective future.” Caesars Superdome, in a partnership between the Saints, the State of Louisiana and the Superdome Commission, is currently undergoing a $450 million renovation that is positioning the stadium to remain one of the world’s premier spectator sports and entertainment venues. Prior to the most recent renovation, the facility had seen over $350 million in improvements in the last 12 years. This most recent project will enhance the quality of experience for the spectator at all levels, with the addition of field level suites, improved concessions and vertical spaces which improve the environment and amenities and ingress and egress, as well as operational upgrades crucial to event operation. This renovation, which is expected to be completed by Super Bowl LIX, will help the Caesars Superdome retain its place in the pantheon of sporting facilities, having hosted seven Super Bowls (the most of any facility), the most recent, Super Bowl XLVII, which propelled $480 million in spending in New Orleans and approximately $262.8 million in direct spending by visitors. The last Super Bowl played in New Orleans also helped inspire an estimated $1.2 billion in public and private improvements to the city. The facility has also hosted five NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours, three BCS College Football Championship games, the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship game and three NCAA College Football Playoff semifinal contests. Edwards added, “The Superdome is currently undergoing a much needed state-of-the-art renovation, an investment that will prove to be a benefit for many years to come. I am thankful to the board of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, and specifically it’s chairman Kyle France, for the hard work on this critical investment in a state facility. I am pleased that the Saints, who may only use the building a dozen times in a year, are contributing $150 million of the $450 million and it should be noted that the building hosts hundreds of events annually…so everyone that uses the building will benefit.” “In 2009, the State, in its new lease agreement with the Saints, gave the team the right to sell naming rights to the Superdome, thereby eliminating State subsidies to the team,” said Senator Page Cortez, president of the Louisiana Senate. “Today, we are thrilled with the announcement of a 20-year deal between the team and Caesars. In 2011, the State approved Mercedes-Benz as the naming rights partner for the Superdome, that 10-year partnership presented to the State by the Saints. What is important to note here is that the team is working to create its own revenue sources for New Orleans and the Superdome. That is very important in our deal with the team. It is a good business deal for the state.” The New Orleans Saints and Gayle Benson have pledged all proceeds from this partnership will go directly back into the building to help with ongoing and continued renovations, which include enhanced and expanded concourses, vertical transportation systems and on-field high-end hospitality luxury suites. This naming rights partnership for the Caesars Superdome is a perfect fit with the corporation’s burgeoning local investment. Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of Harrah’s New Orleans, is currently in the midst of a $325 million renovation and construction project to transform the property, the only land-based casino in Louisiana into Caesars New Orleans. The project will create a flagship resort steps from the French Quarter, including an all-new 340 room hotel tower and new culinary and hospitality offerings within the casino, putting hundreds of people to work on the project, and creating more than 500 sustainable, long-term jobs. Caesars Entertainment is the largest gaming company in the United States, holding more than 50 first-class gaming facilities worldwide. Lauscha added, “We want to acknowledge the Oak View Group, for their tireless work in helping us build a naming rights strategy. Their partnership was a win-win for us.” “This partnership is a long-term business investment, in the city of New Orleans, but the entire state can benefit from having Caesars and the Saints partner in this naming rights deal,” said Representative Clay Schexnayder, speaker of the House of Representatives. “It is wonderful to see this deal take place after we have all had to deal with a terrible pandemic and hopefully this is a signal that commerce is coming back.” Caesars Superdome has housed the Saints since 1975. The naming rights agreement includes the opportunity for Caesars Entertainment branding on the exterior of the facility, as well as stadium signage and other unique displays inside the stadium. Mercedes-Benz USA held the naming rights to the stadium since 2011, with the brand experiencing significantly increasing sales and visibility. That visibility now shifts to Caesars Entertainment. Caesars Entertainment and the New Orleans Saints have started work already to enhance the look of the stadium in support of both the Caesars Entertainment brand and the anticipated success of the 2021 Saints season and other events scheduled to take place at the facility. Caesars Superdome is home to a record seven Super Bowls, including Super Bowl XII (1978), XV (1981), XX (1986), XXIV (1990), XXXI (1997), XXXVI (2002), XLVII (2013), plus another, coming in 2025 (LIX). |
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