The New Orleans Saints will open their 2021 season in Jacksonville, but that appears it will be the only home game played on the road this time around.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Wednesday she expects the team will be able to play its next home game, Week 4 against the New York Giants, at the Caesars Superdome as the city continues to recover from Hurricane Ida. The Saints will play its opener against the Packers at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
"I'm very excited for the city to be prepared to host our Saints again in their home at the Caesars Superdome," Cantrell said.
Cantrell added that she'd gotten calls and texts from multiple Saints players, including Jameis Winston and Alvin Kamara, who call her "Teedy," in order to see how they could help as the city battles widespread outages and other issues.
“[Winston] said ‘listen, I want to help those who are helping others.' … Jameis, you have been just a shining star,” Cantrell said.
Winston opened up his press conference after practice on Wednesday with a message to the first-responders.
The team is currently holding its practices at TCU's facility in Fort Worth after evacuating to Dallas ahead of the storm. Both the Superdome and the team's facility in Metairie escaped any significant damage from the Category 4 storm that made landfall in south Louisiana with winds in excess of 150 mph.
The Saints schedule offers a bit of cushion for their return, as they'll be on the road for Weeks 2 and 3 with matchups against the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
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