New Orleans Saints linebacker Deion Jones (45) runs a drill during training camp at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center on Airline Dr. in Metairie, La. Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD
In the two days since he became a member of the New Orleans Saints, [Deion Jones](https://www.nola.com/tncms/asset/editorial/8f1de81d-a985-43e6-a900-de571df8cfd8/) is still getting used to the fact that he plays for his hometown team. The veteran linebacker hasn’t had time to stop by his mom’s house. Nor has he gotten a chance to visit some of his favorite restaurants.
But Jones has heard from all sorts of family members who are ecstatic to see him in the black and gold.
And he’s also received plenty of feedback from various friends and fans in Atlanta who can’t believe Jones — who spent the first six of his 10 seasons with the Falcons — actually agreed to wear _those_ colors.
“They said they got a lot of stuff to take back right now,” Jones said with a grin.
Count Jones among those still making the adjustment after spending so long on the other side of the rivalry. But the 31-year-old said “it’s a blessing to be back,” even if he rarely envisioned it.
"A little different," Jones said. "It's definitely growing on me."
Some of the best games of Jones’ career have, coincidentally, come against the Saints. There was the 90-yard pick-6 off Drew Brees in 2016, the interception in the end zone to clinch an Atlanta victory over New Orleans in 2017. At his peak, Jones was a player that the Saints had to gameplan around.
But Jones’ career has taken a different sharp turn since those days. In recent years, Jones has floated around the division — making stops with the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a reserve linebacker. He has learned to embrace special teams, where he played a career-high 60.8% of the snaps last season. In New Orleans, he's expected to fill a similar role.
Jones, though, is glad to be in the league. Before the Saints called last week to bring him in for a workout, the linebacker had been training on his own and spending time with his three daughters. He said he was not stressed over whether a call from a team would come.
But the call finally came. And in his visit, Jones worked out well enough for the Saints to offer him a contract.
They also had another question: Did he still want to wear No. 45? That’s the number that Jones had mostly worn since his days at LSU, the number he had so often tortured New Orleans in when with the Falcons.
The choice was a no-brainer.
“I know what the Saints do for the city; I know this is the heartbeat — if the Saints are doing well, the city is doing well,” Jones said. “I had fun coming in and trying to disrupt that every now and again, but like I said, it’s a blessing to be on this side.”