49 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 49 jersey

In just 49 days, the New Orleans Saints will play their 2026 season opener. The Saints hit the road to start the year by playing at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Long snapper Zach Wood will wear No. 49 for the team as he enters his ninth year.

Wood plays a typically overlooked position, but he's been one of the league's most consistent long snappers and valued by the Saints. He's one of only eight to ever wear the 49 jersey for New Orleans. Our countdown to kickoff series continues by looking at each player who did it.

Saints History of No. 49

• DB Major Hazelton (1970)
• WR Bob Wicks (1974)
• DB Ralph McGill (1978-79)
• WR Artie Owens (1980)
• DB Frank Wattelet (1981-87)
• TE Tommie Stowers (1992-93)
• DB Shiloh Keo (2016)
• LS Zach Wood (2017-current)

Major Hazelton was the first to don a No. 49 for New Orleans, but did so for only three games in 1970. Bob Wicks was the first offensive player to wear it, only playing in five contests for the team without a catch. Ralph McGill came over from the rival San Francisco 49ers  for the last year of an eight year career. McGill played one year and 13 games for the Saints, intercepting one pass and recovering a fumble.

None of the eight players who wore No. 49 for the Saints were drafted by the franchise. Only Frank Wattelet began his NFL career with New Orleans, arriving as an undrafted rookie in 1981. Wattelet was with the Saints for seven years and 91 games, the second longest tenure for anyone to wear 49 with the team without it being close. The 16 games Tommie Stowers played with the Saints in No. 49 is the third longest stretch. Wattelet showed good ball skills in the New Orleans secondary, intercepting 12 passes over his career and adding 10 fumble recoveries.

Zach Wood is the longest-tenured Saint to wear 49, suiting up in all 149 of the New Orleans games since arriving in 2017. Listed as a defensive end, Wood has never played a defensive snap. Instead, he's one of the NFL's most steady long snappers and a crucial player if at an often undervalued position. Wood will extend his streak into 2026 as the glue of a rebuilding Saints special teams units.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 49 days until Saints opener: Every player to wear the No. 49 jersey