This is a shame: New Orleans Saints legend and Super Bowl XLIV champion Jahri Evans was not selected for induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Evans, the longtime right guard for the Saints and their current assistant offensive line coach, will have to wait another year for the voters to get it right.
Evans wasn’t part of the Hall of Fame’s four-man Class of 2025, its smallest since 2005. Neither were New Orleans locals Eli Manning and Reggie Wayne. Those to be inducted are Sterling Sharpe, Jared Allen, Antonio Gates, and Eric Allen, the Pro Bowl cornerback who spent three years with the Saints.
It would be a wonderful thing to see Evans rewarded for his hard work. When he retired, Evans had appeared in 169 games with the Saints — second-most among all offensive linemen in franchise history, trailing only the great Stan Brock (186). He went from being the 108th overall pick in the 2006 NFL draft to racking up accolades in his long career.
Evans was a six-time Pro Bowler and earned a spot on the Associated Press All-Pro teams five times (four on the first team, once on the second). He was also selected for the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and has a space in the prestigious Saints Ring of Honor at the Caesars Superdome.
If he can get in next year, he won’t be the only member of the Super Bowl XLIV-winning squad to do so. Quarterback Drew Brees will be eligible for induction with the Class of 2026, too, so their bronze busts may end up resting not too far from each other. It would be fitting that one of the men charged with keeping No. 9 clean would get to earn his place in pro football history alongside one of the greatest passers of all time.
