The Pro Bowl rosters for the 2024 NFL season have been announced, and no one in a New Orleans Saints jersey has to adjust their travel plans.
There were no Saints players among the 44 players named to this year's roster, with New Orleans the only team that did not land a single player. It is still possible that Saints players are added as alternates, such as Demario Davis last season.
If the Saints don't land an alternate, it'd be the first time since the 2007 season that they were not represented at the Pro Bowl in any capacity. It's indicative of the fall for a team that had a whopping 11 plays selected in 2019 and had four or more players selected 10 different times between 2009 and 2021.
All that said, the news wasn't particularly surprising for a team that's battled through extensive injuries en route to a 5-11 campaign that will end on Sunday when they face the Bucs. Most offensive players that would've had a claim, including a 2024 selections Rashid Shaheed and Erik McCoy, have been injured for a bulk of the season. The best chance was likely RB Alvin Kamara, who has missed the last two games with injuries and is a longshot to play in the season finale.
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The team's best argument for a snub would come in the form of special teams ace J.T. Gray, who currently leads the NFL with 20 special teams tackles and has also blocked a punt. Gray has been named All-Pro twice in his career and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021.
The news underscores what has been a frustrating season that will likely lead to significant changes in the offseason. The team fired head coach Dennis Allen following a loss to the Panthers in Week 9. Whomever the team taps as its next coach will have the task of bringing the Saints back to prominence after four consecutive seasons that ended outside the postseason, the longest stretch since they missed for five consecutive seasons from 2001-'05.