Cameron Jordan on Saints’ controversial TD vs. Falcons: ‘Say sorry we didn’t go for 50’

Cameron Jordan doesn’t see the problem with running up the score on the Falcons, much less apologizing for it: ‘Say sorry we didn’t go for 50’

The New Orleans Saints ended their season with a flourish — and then some controversy. When the second-string offense and backup quarterback Jameis Winston went rogue to get Jamaal Williams a late touchdown run over the Atlanta Falcons, Saints head coach Dennis Allen responded by apologizing to the other team for their actions.

It was a move that got him lambasted by the Saints fanbase. And one of Allen’s captains and the longest-tenured player on the team, Cameron Jordan, wants it known that he disagreed with Allen’s decision to apologize for scoring too many points on their greatest rival.

“I’m so sorry the locker room really enjoys being a brotherhood,” Jordan joked during an appearance on the Around the NFL podcast this week. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry we punished a rival team. I would do it again. In fact, I would’ve gone for two. The only thing I’m gonna have a discrepancy with is I didn’t understand the ramifications of like, ‘No, they were taking victory formation.’ The ‘Can’tlanta Failcons’ had already acquiesced. They were just trying to get it out there just like their head coach was about to get out there.”

Already unpopular among Saints fans, Allen’s determination to take a stand and tell them to stop enjoying themselves rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Whatever goodwill he earned for his first winning season in five years as a head coach went with the wind. He has more work to do to convince the team’s supporters that he’s the right man for the job, even as general manager Mickey Loomis continues to cook up bad arguments favoring Allen.

But this isn’t going away. Jordan finished his piece with “Half of my gripe was Dennis ended up saying sorry. And I’m like why would you say sorry? Say sorry we didn’t go for 50.”

It’s unfortunate, but it makes sense that Allen still doesn’t get this rivalry. He doesn’t understand why Saints players and fans dislike the Falcons because his heart’s not in it. He was born in Atlanta as the son of former Falcons linebacker Grady Allen. He grew up and into life with Texas A&M as a student, college football player, and assistant coach; the Aggies have built an unhinged program with strange culture and ideas of sportsmanship, which has defined its relationship with its biggest in-state rival by running from the Texas Longhorns to join a new conference (only for Texas to get the jump on them anyway in the expanding SEC). The sense of rivalry and bone-deep hate isn’t in him.

And Allen’s reluctance to lean into that rivalry and engage with Saints fans (and, apparently, his own players) is going to be a storyline until something bigger happens to overshadow it. Hiring an entirely new offensive coaching staff will help. But Allen has a lot of work to do to convince fans the team he’s leading is worth lending their time and money to support. All we can do is it and see whether he can deliver.

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Matt Ryan got some long-awaited payback against Cameron Jordan

Matt Ryan got some long-awaited payback against Cameron Jordan. The ex-Falcons QB finally sacked his greatest rival:

Matt Ryan finally enjoyed some payback. The ex-Atlanta Falcons quarterback surprised his nemesis on the CBS Sports set ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, sneaking in from offstage to tackle Cameron Jordan. And the New Orleans Saints defensive end took it in stride, laughing and embracing one of his oldest rivals.

“Never have I been sacked in my life,” Jordan later wrote on social media in disbelief.

He’s normally the one sacking the quarterback. Jordan and Ryan set the record together for the most sacks of a single quarterback by a single defender (23), though it’s debatable whether Ryan is proud of his part in that accomplishment.

Either way, it’s clear that there’s a ton of respect between the two. Jordan got Ryan one last time during pregame warmups when he was on the call for a Saints game earlier this season. Ryan hasn’t made his retirement official, but he’s been working for CBS as a broadcaster in recent years, and it’s a role he’s grown comfortable in. There’s a good chance Jordan will join him on the other side of the microphone some day soon.

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Cameron Jordan says retirement isn’t an option in 2024: ‘I love the Saints too much’

Cameron Jordan says retirement isn’t an option in 2024: ‘I love the Saints too much’

It’s been a rough year for Cameron Jordan. The New Orleans Saints’ perennial Pro Bowler fell off in 2023, finishing with just two sacks and likely missing the annual all-star event (unless he gets in as an alternate). Pro Football Focus charting ranked Jordan’s 45 quarterback pressures as the 44th-most among defensive ends around the league, despite ranking 29th in pass-rush snaps (449).

He just wasn’t productive enough. Now 34 years old (and turning 35 this summer), Jordan acknowledged that his numbers aren’t where they needed to be. But he isn’t ready to call it a career just yet.

“I love the Saints too much to retire,” Jordan told local media at his locker on Monday. “I love this locker room, I love everything about it. I’ve got too much juice to give.”

Jordan rattled off his list of complaints from the 2023 season — a lingering ankle injury that had him playing “like a freaking shell of myself” in the back half of the schedule, along with losses to the Packers, the Texans, and the Falcons in Atlanta. But he likes the way the Saints finished the season playing strong on both sides of the ball, even if he wishes that kind of consistency had manifested earlier in the season.

So he’ll be back in 2024, which makes sense when you look at his contract (he’s signed through 2025). What the plan is for him remains to be seen. Jordan remains a strong run defender, anchoring the left end of the line and tracking the ball well in the backfield, but he’s lost a step moving forwards as a pass rusher. Too often he’s a step slow to close on the quarterback and finish the sack.

Maybe the answer is moving him inside to rush against slow-footed guards, as some older defensive ends have tried around the league. Or the Saints could ask him to rush the quarterback less often altogether and focus on winning the first two downs. Jordan ranked second on the team in pass rush snaps (449) by a wide margin. Young draft picks like Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner, and Isaiah Foskey haven’t panned out. The Saints need to keep trying to find someone who can take some pressure off Jordan’s shoulders in that role.

Jordan added that he won’t be vacationing with his family in Spain like he did last summer; he’s planning to dial in and train his body so he can get back to performing at his usual standards. “There’s some things I need to clean up. And as much as I needed last offseason to happen, it takes a lot to be committed to your craft. That was great for the mentals, but I feel like in a physical aspect, and even in a team aspect, there’s more to give.”

He added, “I’m already looking forward to a revenge arc.”

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Cameron Jordan could miss just his second-ever game due to injury in Week 13

Cameron Jordan has played a lot of games in his NFL career — 214 of them, including the playoffs. But he could miss a game to injury for just the second time this Sunday:

This is tough. Cameron Jordan has played a lot of games in his NFL career — 214 of them, including the playoffs. But an ankle injury suffered late in last week’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons has kept him out of the first two days of practice going into Week 13’s matchup with the Detroit Lions, and it’s looking like Jordan could have to sit this one out.

If so, it’ll be just the second game of his 13-year pro career that he’ll miss due to injury. Jordan’s NFL-best streak of 172 consecutive starts came to an end in 2021 when he missed a game in isolation during the league’s COVID-19 protocol, but his first absence due to an injury came last year with a fractured orbital bone.

So it’s looking like he’ll be sidelined for a second time this weekend unless Jordan is able to practice on at least a limited basis Friday. The eight-time Pro Bowler has pressured quarterbacks at a higher rate this season but struggled to finish plays with takedowns; his 2.0 sacks are the fewest he’s had in a single season since his 2011 rookie year.

What’s more frustrating is that the Saints just had Jason Pierre-Paul on their practice squad. They knew Jordan was hurt and could have signed Pierre-Paul to the 53-man roster, but he chose to leave and join the Miami Dolphins. Now, it’s possible they made Pierre-Paul an offer and he declined for a better long-term opportunity elsewhere (as happened last season with Latavius Murray going to the Denver Broncos). Miami is a legitimate Super Bowl contender with an 8-3 record and one of the game’s most popular head coaches in Mike McDaniel. The Saints are 5-6 and trending in the wrong direction. If Pierre-Paul wanted out, there wasn’t much they could do to force him into staying.

Should Jordan be unavailable on Sunday, look for Carl Granderson and Tanoh Kpassagnon to start at defensive end with Isaiah Foskey and Kyle Phillips rotating into the game; the Saints could also bring up preseason standout Niko Lalos from their practice squad. Foskey missed some time with a quadriceps injury but has practiced fully this week, and this could be the opportunity the rookie second-round pick needs to prove he’s earned more snaps. Stay tuned.

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These Saints players are on the 2024 Pro Bowl Games ballot

Voting has opened for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games. Here are the New Orleans Saints players on the ballot:

Voting has opened for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, and a number of New Orleans Saints players are on the ballot. Who will make the trip to Orlando for this season’s festivities?

Last year, the Saints were represented by linebacker Demario Davis (in his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance) and defensive end Cameron Jordan (in his eighth). Derek Carr was also in attendance, though he was repping the Las Vegas Raiders on the AFC roster.

Here are the Saints players you can vote for:

Saints’ tough loss to the Vikings forced Cameron Jordan to change his tune

The Saints’ tough loss to the Vikings forced ever-optimistic Cameron Jordan to change his tune. He’s feeling the pressure to improve:

Well, they did it: the New Orleans Saints broke Cameron Jordan. The team’s ever-optimistic defensive captain has sworn by the “24 hour rule” for years, but Sunday’s gut-punch loss to the Minnesota Vikings is tough for even him to withstand. After falling short in Minnesota, he’s ready to do away with that practice altogether.

A popular tool in youth sports, the “24 hour rule” is often used to prevent discussion of negative feedback until 24 hours have passed since the last performance, so all sides can have dialogue with clear heads and calm minds. But Jordan says the time for patience has run out. The Saints could probably use some emotional energy right now.

This game was frustrating for everyone, but Jordan in particular saw some positive plays wiped out by his teammates’ mistakes. He sacked Joshua Dobbs in the red zone but an illegal contact penalty on Pete Werner erased it, and Dobbs ran into the end zone for a lead-extending touchdown a couple of plays later.

It’s time for tough conversations on Airline Drive and inside the offices at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center. It’s past time. The Saints are going into their bye week lucky to have a 5-5 record, and that’s the best thing to be said about their results since Dennis Allen was hired as head coach. He and his staff have not gotten the job done or prepared their players to go out and compete against good teams. They’re wasting the careers of great players like Jordan and Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis. They invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Derek Carr without appreciable improvement on offense.

And players are feeling the pressure. The clock is ticking, and even optimists like Jordan are acknowledging it. How much longer will team decision-makers like Mickey Loomis and Gayle Benson delay in doing something about it?

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Bill Belichick calls Cameron Jordan one of his most-respected players

Patriots coach Bill Belichick calls Cameron Jordan one of his most-respected players. He regards the Saints’ all-time sacks leader very highly:

Cameron Jordan has a lot of fans — sustaining a high level of play for as many years as he has warrants the attention. He’s on a trajectory that could send him to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the New Orleans Saints’ all-time sacks leader has one impressive advocate in his corner: New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

The famously taciturn Belichick did offer a hat-tip to Jordan before the Patriots practiced on Wednesday, acknowledging him as “One of the players I have the most respect for in the league” during his regular press conference.

That’s lofty praise, but Jordan has earned it. There aren’t many Just 16 active NFL players have appeared in 190 or more regular season games. And only four of them play defense, including Jordan (196). His combination of longevity and big-time play has won him a lot of accolades including eight Pro Bowl appearances.

Hopefully Jordan can come through with a couple of impactful plays this Sunday against Belichick’s Patriots team and help get the Saints back in the win column.

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All of the quarterbacks Cameron Jordan has sacked in his NFL career

Here are all 46 of the quarterbacks Cameron Jordan has sacked in his storied New Orleans Saints career:

Cameron Jordan has sacked a lot of quarterbacks in his NFL career — 46 of them, going into Sunday’s game with the Green Bay Packers. If he can bring down Jordan Love, the New Orleans Saints sacks leader will level up even further.

Here are all of the passers Jordan has brought down so far, via Pro Football Reference’s research tool Stathead:

WATCH: Cameron Jordan, Dennis Allen address Saints locker room after Panthers win

WATCH: Cameron Jordan, Dennis Allen address Saints locker room after Panthers win

Now that’s what you like to see: a jubilant New Orleans Saints locker room after a big win over a divisional rival. Head coach Dennis Allen and defensive end Cameron Jordan addressed the team after they put the Carolina Panthers away on Monday night, 20-17.

And they stressed a couple of key points: enjoy this win, be prepared to work out the problems, and know that time isn’t on their side. The Saints must return home to New Orleans, practice on a short week, and then fly out to face the Green Bay Packers in an early-afternoon time slot next Sunday. They don’t have too much time to rest on their laurels after their first 2-0 start in a decade.

But some celebration is warranted. These wins are products of hard work, and they’ve earned the chance to cut loose and enjoy themselves. For now. Soon, it’ll be back to the practice field or the weight room or the film room, and right back to work in the next leg of a long campaign.

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Saints, Cameron Jordan strike deal on extension to continue his career in black and gold

The New Orleans Saints and Cameron Jordan agreed on a new contract extension to ensure he’ll close out his career in black and gold:

Was there ever any doubt this deal wouldn’t get done? ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the New Orleans Saints have agreed to terms on a new contract extension with defensive end Cameron Jordan, all but ensuring the eight-time Pro Bowler will spend his entire career with New Orleans. It’s some smart planning for the future between the Saints and one of their best players.

Schefter reports that Jordan’s contract is valued at $27.5 million over two years. He was already set to count against the 2023 salary cap by more than $15.1 million, most of which was tied up in $13.3 million from previous contract restructures, so this isn’t going to bring much current-year cap relief as much as future stability. If Jordan hadn’t signed a new deal, he would have been set to become a free agent in 2024 while leaving a dead money hit on New Orleans’ books in excess of $23.3 million.

Jordan, 34, won the Saints’ all-time sacks record last season (115.5) to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson while also ranking fourth in the team record books with 58 pass deflections. He’s been a steady and reliable presence in the defensive front — since being drafted back in 2011, Jordan established a streak of 172 consecutive starts until he was briefly sidelined on the COVID-19 reserve list late in the 2021 season.

He appeared in 186 regular season games and 11 playoff contests before missing a game due to injury midway through the 2022 campaign. It’s not for nothing that he’s the longest-tenured player on the team, and this new extension will keep it that way. Jordan is well on his way to surpassing Drew Brees for the team record of the most games played with the Saints.

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