Most people will tell you that Jake Delhomme was a rookie for the Saints in 1999.  Actually he signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent in 1997 and spent that season on the Saints practice squad.  After a year playing in the NFL Europe League, he returned to the Saints to play for them during the 1999 season - while wearing #12 instead of #9 as he wore while wearing this helmet. 

Game Worn New Orleans helmet worn by Delhomme in 1997 and 1998.  The Riddell VSR4 model helmet is a size large and original and complete as purchased.  The helmet is original, unaltered in any way, and complete with the chinstrap.  The helmet has its original Schutt OPO model facemask from 1997, secured to the helmet with the original clips and hardware.  Conventional clips secure the top mounts while double clips secure the mask at the sides as worn by the Saints during this period.  The chinstrap is an Adams Pro 100 hardcup, low mount, with the Riddell name screen printed on the straps to meet NFL uniform guidelines.  Only chinstraps used in the NFL had the straps screened with “Riddell.”

The helmet exhibits light wear on the exterior and the interior, consistent with one (1) season of practice squad quarterback play.  There are velcro strips added on the inside, forward of each earhole for the radio receiver speakers, as shown in the photo, as used by NFL quarterbacks since introduced in 1994.  

The logos and striping is original, properly positioned, and adhered well to the helmet with no lifting.  The helmet has game decals on the rear including the team warning label, NFL shield decal, and Saints rear bumper decal.  There is a #9 team applied player identifier on the rear right stripe as well as a larger #9 identifier on the inside of the helmet near the right ear hole.  Delhomme was the only Saint that wore the #9 during this period.  Great game used helmet of a terrific NFL Pro Bowl and Super Bowl quarterback, with a great story,  in which their game used helmets are rare and do not come around often.