New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has agreed to terms with wide-receiver Dante Pettis on a one-year contract extension.
Pettis, 6-2, 200, was originally selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round (44th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft out of the University of Washington. The San Clemente, Calif. native has played in 58 career games with 19 starts for the 49ers (2018-20), New York Giants (2020-21), Chicago Bears (2022) and Saints (2024), recording 83 receptions for 1,104 yards (13.3 avg.) and 13 touchdowns, along with three carries for 35 yards. He has also completed both of his pass attempts for 32 yards.
On special teams, Pettis has returned 38 punts for 294 yards (7.7 avg.) and four kickoffs for 114 yards (28.5 avg.). In 2024, Pettis joined the Saints practice squad in Week Seven and appeared in the club's final eight games, catching 12 passes for 120 yards with one touchdown and caught one two-point conversion. As the Black and Gold's primary returner, he brought back seven punts for 90 yards (12.9 avg.), including a career-long 53-yard runback, and returned three kickoffs for 96 yards (32.0 avg.). Pettis' contributions in 2024 helped the Black and Gold's punt return unit rank fifth in the NFL for average yards per return (12.5).
Pettis played 53 games (36 starts) over four years at Washington, recording 163 receptions for 2,256 yards and 24 touchdowns. On special teams, he amassed 90 punt returns for 1,274 yards (14.2 avg.) and set an NCAA record with nine punt return touchdowns.
In 2017, Pettis earned consensus first-team All-America honors and was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as both a wide receiver and return specialist. That season, he played 13 games (12 starts), tallying 63 receptions for 761 yards and seven touchdowns. He also returned 21 punts for 428 yards (20.4 avg.) with four touchdowns, tying the NCAA record for a punt return touchdown in three consecutive games.