Saints Standout Done For Season; What’s Next?

The New Orleans Saints’ wide receiver room has been up in the air all summer and just got a bit more complicated.

New Orleans has Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks as the team’s top three receivers. That’s a good starting point, but there have been questions about who could fill in behind these three.

One guy who got some love early in the summer was Bub Means. The 24-year-old 2024 fifth-round pick had nine catches last year for 118 receiving yards in seven games as a rookie. That's not a ton of production, but there was some buzz out there that he could be a bigger piece this year, but that won't be the case.

Now, the Saints will need to go back to the drawing board, though, as Means will miss the entire 2025 season after being placed on the Injured Reserve on Wednesday, as shared by ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"Saints placed wide receiver Bub Means and tight end Mason Pline on season-ending Injured Reserve," Schefter said.

Saints WR Bub Means out for the season; who is next up?

Jun 10, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Bub Means (16) during receiver drills during minicamp at Ochsner Sports Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LouisianaSports.Net's Ross Jackson also shared the Means news.

"Another season has come to an early end for the New Orleans Saints. Per the NFL’s transaction wire, the Saints have placed wide receiver Bub Means on Injured Reserve, ending his season," Jackson said. "For the second season in a row, Means’ season finishes early with an ankle injury suffered at SoFi stadium in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Last season, Means suffered an ankle injury in the teams’ Week Eight matchup and then suffered a setback later in the season, shutting down his year. This year, he started off strong throughout OTAs and minicamps, but has a more quiet training camp than anticipated."

If the Saints want to make a move, there is still some talent left on the board, like Pro Bowler Amari Cooper. The Saints' receiver depth behind the top three already was questionable, at best. Now, that's even more so the case. If the Saints want to put their young quarterbacks in the best position, it would absolutely make sense to go out and get some more depth. Cooper would be the best option, but a move in general wouldn't hurt. Recently, the Saints worked out Justyn Ross so they are at least looking around.

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