Cameron Jordan is a New Orleans Saints institution, and he isn’t going anywhere for the 2026 season after all.
Jordan announced his return in a video on social media saying “he’s back” with the Saints for “one final season.”
“What it comes down to is lifestyle,” Jordan said, per the team’s official website. “It’s the idea that I could have played for the same team for my entire career. The loyalty streak has always run deep with me, and I think a couple of years ago me and Mickey sat down and it was like, ‘Look, man, the way you’ve played, the way you’ve handled yourself, you’ll always have a job here.’ Now, it may not be what I think I’m worth or whatever it is, but it’s always been the idea that we’ve had an open line of communication.
“This is where I wanted to be, and (I) got back here.”
It’s welcome news for the Saints after ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on March 5 the pass-rusher was “open to leaving New Orleans” and hitting free agency after failing to come to terms on a new deal with New Orleans earlier in the spring.
It also seemed fair to at least wonder whether Jordan would retire this offseason considering his previous contract expired after the 2025 season. After all, he will be 37 years old throughout the 2026 campaign and has played 15 years in the league.
Yet he sounded like someone who was coming back during a January interview with Kay Adams when he joked that people have been trying to retire him for five years.
“I don’t know what this offseason holds,” Jordan said. “At the same time, I’m in New Orleans until they don’t want me. … I’ll be at the facility until my face isn’t recognized anymore. One day this fingerprint won’t work, but it won’t be today.”
He also expressed optimism in the team’s 2026 outlook and said, “I really believe in our team. I believe in our locker room. I believe we might have found a QB 1 in Tyler Shough. … We’ve got guys who want to play ball.”
That Jordan was largely excellent even at this stage of his career during the 2025 season surely contributed to his decision as well.
He appeared in all 17 games and finished with 47 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 15 QB hits, 10.5 sacks, two passes defended, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. It was the seventh time he reached double-digit sacks in a season during his career and the first time since the 2021 campaign.
New Orleans selected Jordan with a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft, and he quickly established himself as a defensive force with eight sacks in his second season and a Pro Bowl selection in his third.
His resume includes eight Pro Bowls, a spot on the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team and 132 sacks, which is the most in franchise history. Jordan’s durability has also stood out, as he has played at least 16 games in all 15 of his seasons in the NFL.
In addition to the sacks, he is also the Saints’ all-time leader in games played at 243.
About the only thing missing from the veteran’s resume is a Super Bowl ring. While the Saints might not be in position to change that in 2026 after they went 6-11 last season, they could be much better if Shough makes a second-year leap.
And they will also have a veteran defensive presence providing leadership on that side of the ball after Jordan decided to come back on a new contract.
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