Report: Saints Planning to Be Away from NOLA for Extended Period
If you were hoping the New Orleans Saints would play their season opener against Green Bay in the Superdome, we have some bad news.
The Saints will play the Packers in another location. In fact, according to a report by the New Orleans Advocate/Time-Picayune's Jeff Duncan, the Saints will play their first four or five games on the road.
Payton made those comments during a press conference in Dallas this morning. The Saints evacuated from New Orleans days before Hurricane Ida slammed into the Southeastern Louisiana coast. The storm's winds knocked down a transmission tower in Avondale, leaving the entire city of New Orleans without power. Since leaving Louisiana, the Saints have been practicing at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Since then, team owner Gayle Benson has been picking up the tab for all of the team members' expenses. According to the NFL Network's Jane Slater:
According to reports by both Duncan and Slater, the Saints are leaning towards staying in the Dallas area.
Slater reports that the Saints considered other locations, including Oxnard, California, as possible temporary locations for the Saints to play and practice. However, logistical issues forced the team to look closer to home.
The good news for New Orleans and Saints fans is that the Saints aren't looking at playing home games away from the Superdome beyond Week 4.
Still, that means half the season could go by before the Saints even play a home game in the Superdome. Per Warren Sharp, the Saints first home game could be on Halloween against Tampa.