Jahri Evans
Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame
Football, 2006-17
New Orleans Saints
Inducted: 2024
Photo Courtesy of the New Orleans Saints.
It is the next step toward the top of the pro football world.
For Jahri Evans, the ultimate will be induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Evans came close this past year, emerging as a finalist but not receiving the honor. It would seem to be a matter of time before he receives that just reward.
The legendary offensive lineman was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2021, in his first year of eligibility. In 2022, he was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
Now, it is his turn to be honored in his adopted hometown as Evans has been elected to the Allstate Sugar Bowl’s Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.
“It is a great honor to be recognized by the Allstate Sugar Bowl and I thank the media selection committee for the recognition,” Evans said. “Playing for the Saints was an honor. We had an outstanding run and the fans were outstanding every step of the way. There is no better place to play in the NFL and it is a privilege to work for the Saints now.”
The honor is richly deserved.
Along with Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee William Roaf, Evans is the most accomplished offensive lineman in New Orleans Saints history.
The Philadelphia, Pa., native arrived in New Orleans with no guarantees.
Evans was not a huge investment by the Saints, who were very fortunate and smart to select him in the fourth round with the 108th overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of little-known Bloomsburg University.
The 2006 draft class would prove pivotal in helping the Saints turn around their fortunes in dramatic fashion as the class included four future Saints Hall of Fame inductees in Reggie Bush, Roman Harper, Marques Colston and Evans, along with Zach Strief.
Playing for an obscure program obscured what became obvious to all very quickly. Evans was an absolute bargain, a steal and he began stealing the hearts of opposing defensive linemen instantly.
The 6-4, 320-pound Evans made his impact felt immediately. He earned a starting job in his rookie season and started every game as the Saints, in the first year of the Sean Payton regime, went from 3-13 the previous season to the NFC championship game in 2006.
After excellent campaigns in 2007 and 2008, Evans was a very important piece to the puzzle as the Saints won Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season.
Evans remained a primary force as the Saints returned to the playoffs in 2010, 2011 and 2013. There was no better guard in the NFL in that time frame. Evans was voted onto the 2010’s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Reference.
Legendary Saints quarterback Drew Brees called Evans “no question the best offensive lineman I ever played with. There was no one tougher, smarter, as skilled or more reliable. When you needed a play, you were running behind Jahri Evans. He was a tone-setter, a great leader and fierce competitor. A Hall of Fame player and teammate.”
Among his many outstanding attributes, Evans was totally dependable as a result of his durability.
Evans, who was superb as a run blocker and a pass blocker, started every game in his first seven seasons in the league, not missing a game until his eighth season. In all, Evans started every game in nine of his 11 seasons with the Saints. He started all 169 games in which he played in as a member of the Saints and ranks 12th all-time in games played in franchise history.
In Evans’ 11-year tenure, the Saints averaged an NFL-high 405 yards a game. The next closest during that period, the Patriots, gained 20 fewer yards a game. The Saints led the league in total offense six times and ranked second two other times. They lead the league in scoring twice and were second two other times.
Evans earned first team All-Pro honors in four straight seasons from 2009-2012 and reached the Pro Bowl for six consecutive seasons from 2009-2014. He is tied for fourth all-time in franchise history in Pro Bowl appearances with Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Rickey Jackson, behind only Drew Brees (12), Cam Jordan (8) and Roaf (7).
His longtime head coach Sean Payton had glowing praise for him. “Jahri Evans,” he said, “was the best player to play on arguably the best offense in NFL history.”
“Jahri is fantastic,” said Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis when it was announced that Evans was a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. “First of all, he's a fantastic human being. Great teammate – not a good one – a great teammate. Great representative of the New Orleans Saints...There was a stretch where he was the best guard in the NFL, best guard in football, and maybe the best offensive lineman in football for a period of time. It's well-deserved that he's in this group and he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.”
Evans may have come from a small school, but he played at a huge level.
That Evans ended up playing in New Orleans may have been divinely inspired. Perhaps it was an answered prayer. His middle name is Divine and that is an apt description for an outstanding player who did great work for a team named the Saints.
Whatever the case, the Saints had faith in Evans and he more than justified that faith with championship returns over an extended period of time.
Evans has also given back to the communities in both Pennsylvania and New Orleans. He and his foundation have been involved with numerous youth clinics, provided donations to schools, and supported military veterans. He has also established a full scholarship for out-of-state minority students enrolled in Bloomsburg’s athletic training program.
Despite one-year stints with the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers late in his career, Evans simply could not leave New Orleans after his retirement. He now serves as an offensive assistant under Dennis Allen for the black and gold.
By Ken Trahan, Greater New Orleans Sports Awards Committee
