Former guard Jahri Evans is still waiting for Canton to come calling after being a finalist in the most recent cycle, but the New Orleans Saints have moved ahead with immortalizing him as a franchise legend.
New Orleans plans to induct Evans into the team's Ring of Honor during halftime of its Week 11 game against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 17, the club announced Wednesday.
"During his 11-year playing career as a Saint, Jahri Evans established himself as one of the greatest Saints of all-time and we are thrilled to add him to the Ring of Honor," Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement released by the team. "Jahri was a true professional, a student of the game and a phenomenal teammate, who led our team and our historic offense with his excellence along the offensive line. The battles that Jahri won up front played a pivotal role in us celebrating some of the most memorable moments in our franchise's history. We look forward to celebrating his legendary career in November in front of our fans in the Caesars Superdome."
Evans, a fourth-round pick by the Saints in the 2006 NFL Draft, quickly became one of the great offensive linemen in the league, and in 2020 was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team.
He played 169 games in total for New Orleans. Starting with the franchise's lone Super Bowl season in 2009, he received first-team All-Pro honors four consecutive times and reached six straight Pro Bowls while serving as a premier pass blocker for quarterback Drew Brees on the interior of the O-line.
Evans left the Saints only briefly during his NFL career, as he played his 12th and final NFL season with the Green Bay Packers in 2017, but now he's back with the black and gold for good.
After rising from humble beginnings as the pride of Division II's Bloomsburg University, Evans is set to become the eighth member of the Saints Ring of Honor.