The 1986 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 20th as a member of the National Football League. They improved upon their previous season's output of 5âÂÂ11, winning seven games.
On January 14, owner Tom Benson hired Jim Finks as the franchise's general manager, and turned over the entire football operation to the veteran operative who previously built championship clubs with the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears. Finks was hired two days after the Bears won the NFC championship to clinch a berth in Super Bowl XX at the Louisiana Superdome.
Two days after the Bears team largely constructed by Finks defeated the New England Patriots 46-10, Finks hired Jim Mora as the new head coach. Mora was the most successful coach in the history of the United States Football League, leading the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars to two USFL championships and a runner-up finish.