New Orleans was awarded a NFL in 1967 born out of the deal to merge the old NFL and AFL. In 1970 when the two leagues fully merged, the Saints joined the Los Angeles Rams in the newly named NFC West along with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers from the old NFC Coastal Division.
As an expansion team in ‘67, all other teams had to provide a list of rostered players which the expansion teams could choose from to help start the Saints’ franchise. One of the most famous NFL books ever written was Instant Replay.