Saints_Football Jahri Evans, center, looks on during training camp in Metairie on Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Photo by Brett Duke, | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate) A fourth-round draft pick who went to a school you’ve probably never heard of on an academic scholarship instead of an athletic one wasn’t supposed to be this good. But as proved, it doesn’t really matter where you come from.
Talent inevitably wins out, which is how Evans ascended from tiny Division II Bloomsburg University into the rafters of the Superdome. Evans will go into the New Orleans Saints’ Ring of Honor when the Saints host the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 17.
“It’s a huge honor,” Evans said. “The only thing I kept thinking about is when my children come to that game this year, they’ll see Daddy’s name up there.” Evans’ inclusion in the Ring of Honor had to be a no-brainer for those in the organization who make the decision.
Simply put, the former guard who played for the Saints from 2006-2016 was one of the best in the NFL at his position. He was so good, in fact, that you could make a strong argument that Evans should have been in Canton, Ohio, on Saturday for his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction instead of at Saints' training camp for his duties as assistant offensive line coach. Evans was a finalist for this year’s induction class but didn’t quite make the cut.
His day of putting on a gold jacket probably will come some day. But for now, Evans can stick his chest out about being just the eighth member of the Saints’ Ring of Honor. He joins Morten Andersen, Tom Benson, Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning, Sam Mills, Willie Roaf and Will Smith.
“It’s an elite crew,” Evans said. “Every time when I played, when you walk into the stadium coming off the bus, one of the first things you look up at is the Ring (of Honor). To be up there with those guys is an honor.
” Evans made first team All-Pro four straight years from 2009-2012 and made the 2010’s All Decade Team. He's the only player in Saints history to be named first team All-Pro four times. In fact, no other Saints player has been named first team All-Pro three times.
The Ring of Honor is the latest honor for Evans. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2020, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2022 and into the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Not bad for a guy Sean Payton barely had film on when the Saints drafted him in 2006.
"When the tape came on Jahri, it came in on a horse and buggy,” Payton once said. “You had one copy of it, and we wanted to hold on to that tape thinking nobody else in the league had that same copy." Evans turned out to be a steal, excelling at a position usually overshadowed by the more glamorous tackle spot.
“Jahri’s a stud,” said Saints head coach Dennis Allen. “I would say offensive guard isn’t the most glorious position to play. I don’t think people really understand what a great player Jahri was.
He’s as good a guard as I’ve seen.” One of the most prolific offenses in NFL history likely wouldn’t have been what it was if it wasn’t for Evans. “When you have Drew Brees, a 6-foot-1 quarterback, the interior of the pocket is precious, precious territory,” Allen said.
“I don’t think anyone protected the interior of the pocket as good as Jahri did. He was a mauler in the run game, great in protection and a great teammate and tremendously hard worker. And I think he’ll be a pretty good coach.
” The Saints surprised Evans by announcing his induction into the Ring of Honor in a team meeting. In typical Evans fashion, he didn’t talk much about his latest accolade. Instead, he turned the moment into a speech about playing as a team.
That’s who Evans is as a coach. And that’s what helped shape him into who he was as a player. “I wanted to be the best player I could be,” Evans said.
“We wanted to maximize everybody’s strengths and we did that. ..
. We always told ourselves if we protected Drew, we can make plays down the field and we are never out of the game because of Drew. We all just worked hard to not let each other down, and I was just trying to be the best player I could be, the best teammate I could be and go out there and win games.
” For 11 seasons, Evans did that for the Saints in the Dome. And now for the rest of his life, he’ll get to look up in the rafters of the Dome and see that his play at guard didn’t go unnoticed..
