The veteran purge in New Orleans made all the noise—cutting loose guys like Isaac Yiadom, Michael Davis, Terrell Burgess, and Zamir White cleared out plenty of familiar faces.
But the real shockwave of late August wasn’t who got handed pink slips. It was the unheralded longshot who somehow kicked the door down and stole a locker on the final 53.
When the news finally dropped, Jayden Price didn’t bother masking the sheer disbelief of beating the odds.
“I thought I did enough to deserve a chance, deserve an opportunity here,” Price admitted after learning he made the cut, the weight of bouncing from North Dakota State to the Falcons, the CFL, and the UFL finally settling in. “But in this business, you never know.”
Jayden Price Opens up on Roster Spot on Saints 53-Man Squad
For a player grinding through three different professional leagues just to sniff a live NFL rep, getting the news that he’d actually locked down a spot on New Orleans’ initial 53-man roster hit differently.
He had to bounce through the CFL, the UFL, and practice squad scrap heaps just to keep a helmet in his locker.
“I just needed somebody to give me an opportunity, somebody to believe in me, and I’m just thankful for the Saints and that they did that,” he said.
NFL hadn’t been too kind to Price in previous years, but his play put him on the map during training camp, finally earning him the shot at a potential NFL break after almost 2 years of going undrafted in 2024.
‘White Chocolate,’ as his teammates named him, gave a glimpse into his development when he first intercepted a pass in the first preseason game against Jacksonville and played well enough to ascend the depth chart to second-team at the star position on defense.
“It’s always been my dream to get here, to reach this point,” he said. “I’ve always imagined and believed in myself that I would eventually get here, so it feels good to finally reach this point.”
Saints DC Lauds Price
Jayden Price Breaks Down Roster-Lock Reality After Long Road to Saints’ 53