The New Orleans Saints might have a tough time prying Cameron Jordan out of the Spanish countryside. Their defensive captain was so shaken by the first snow game of his football career that he and his wife Nikki packed up their kids and took the family to Spain for a month. Then two.
Playing in Antarctic conditions was a thoroughly miserable experience, but at least the Saints left with a win over the Cleveland Browns. Jordan told WWL Radio’s Jeff Nowak that spending his Christmas Eve in the brutal wind and snow has made Cleveland a place he’ll never return.
“And I was looking at the fans (huddling for warmth in the stands), I was like, much respect. Because there is no amount of money that could ever make me play for this team,” Jordan said. “Like, you could be like Cam, I have $58 million a year for you, an unprecedented amount, you’ve never been paid this much for 1 year of football. And I’d be like, thank you very much. If there’s 50 on the table here, there’s got to be 40 on the table somewhere in a warmer climate. Thank you, I’ll be leaving.”
That below-freezing afternoon sent Jordan looking for somewhere warm. After visiting Rio De Janeiro for Carnival celebrations, the family traveled to Spain. They haven’t been stateside since February, though Jordan says they’ll be home in time for the Saints offseason program to begin in earnest.
In the meantime, they’ve made stops in Madrid, Bilbao, Barcelona, San Sebastian, and Seville. The Jordans have gone cycling in the Spanish countryside, toured cultural heritage sites, attended pro soccer games, and yucked it up with other tourists (Jordan had to laugh off an encounter with one “Tampa Bay bozo” at Etxebarri, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bilbao).
Here’s some of the highlights Jordan has shared from their adventures abroad on social media: