Jabari Greer sat on a 15-passenger van that summer day in 2004.
On the van with him was a haul of other just as ambitious undrafted rookie cornerbacks the Buffalo Bills were interested in.
Greer, who played college ball at the University of Tennessee, looked around and saw several faces that he recognized, many of whom played collegiate ball in the Southeastern Conference just like he did.
“There is no way everybody is going to make this team,” Greer remembers thinking to himself. “Somebody's not going to make it. But it ain’t goin be me.”
Turns out, Greer was right.
Former New Orleans Saints Jabari Greer with his family during the National Anthem before the start of the game against the Detroit Lions at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Despite not hearing his name called on draft night, he landed a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster. But his football journey really took off in 2009 when he signed with the New Orleans Saints, a decision that no doubt was the right one for him. The proof came Thursday when Greer was announced as an inductee into the Saints 2023 Hall of Fame class.
“He’s the epitome of what it means to be a New Orleans Saint and the type of players and the type of people we bring into this organization,” Saints coach Dennis Allen said.
Allen was the Saints secondary coach when Greer arrived.
“Jabari came in and worked his tail off and really developed himself,” Allen said.
Greer’s mother, who never missed one of his games since he started playing football at 6 years old, watched proudly as Greer spoke at the Saints’ practice facility Thursday.
“You are the reason I am here,” Greer said to her.
His four children proudly watched as well. Katrina Greer, his wife who passed away in 2020, would have been just as proud. It’s why Greer made sure to pause and acknowledge her.
“My wife allowed me to come out here and play freely,” Greer said. “When I heard that I was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame, I pray more than anything that she could hear me giving the thanks and the honor that she deserves. She held it down and allowed me to be the player that I was.”
It was Katrina Greer who told her husband to be patient when he was trying to decide whom to sign with after his five seasons in Buffalo. He visited the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Just wait,” Katrina reminded him every time.
After not latching on with any of those three teams, Greer visited the Saints. He got the sign he needed as he was heading to the parking lot to get lunch during that visit.
“I remember the distinct smell of my little league mouthpiece,” Greer recalls.
Then his inner voice spoke to him as clear as day.
“If you come here, you’ll be able to play like you’re a kid again,” Greer said. “I can’t explain it. But it allowed me to have peace about the decision to come to New Orleans."
He spent the final five years of his NFL career with the Saints. Greer recorded nine interceptions in New Orleans, and he returned two of them for touchdowns.
He played some of his best games in the postseason when he recorded three interceptions and 23 tackles. In the Saints’ Super Bowl victory over the Indianapolis Colts, Greer recorded eight tackles.
He helped bring the first and only Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans, a place he loves dearly. It’s the city where his kids were born. And it’s a city whose fans he says are second to none.
“There’s no place that loves and stays with their team, through good and bad, like New Orleans Saints fans,” Greer said. “Because of that, I was not only able to fall in love with the fanbase, but to fall in love with the city. I came to the best place on Earth to play football.”
Now he’ll be remembered forever as the latest member of the Hall of Fame. He’s one of three people who will be honored during an induction ceremony in December, the weekend the Saints host the Carolina Panthers.
Bob Parkinson and Steve Paretti, longtime sports photographers at WWL and WDSU who shot Saints games for two decades, will be inducted as recipients of the Joe Gemelli "Fleur de Lis" Award. The award is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the team.
The class, though, is highlighted by Greer, whose NFL journey took him from being on a bus filled with undrafted cornerbacks to the Super Bowl and now to the Saints’ Hall of Fame.
“He’s a self-made man and a self-made player,” Allen said. “That’s probably the greatest compliment I can give to somebody. I’m more proud of him for the type of person he is. Just a great human being, a wonderful father and a tremendous friend.”
