Baumgartner enters his 21st season with the New Orleans Saints, his ninth as head equipment manager.
He began his National Football League career working in the equipment room for the Saints in 2003. In 2008 he was promoted to assistant equipment manager. He also served as head equipment manager of the club's Arena Football League entry, the New Orleans VooDoo in 2007, assisting in the club's equipment department from 2004-05.
In both 2005 and 2020, Baumgartner has been a part of a Saints equipment staff that was selected in a vote by their peers for the Whitey Zimmerman Memorial Award, annually given to the National Football League equipment staff that exceeds the usual demands of the position. These awards were based on how the equipment staff overcame extraordinary challenges in the forced evacuation from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and with COVID-19 in 2020.
The son of former Saints defensive lineman Steve Baumgartner, John Baumgartner attended the University of Southern Mississippi, where he played on the offensive line from 2000-02. The Covington native graduated with a bachelor's degree in sports administration in 2004
