Category: Cameron Jordan

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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Cameron Jordan is on track to join Drew Brees in Saints’ exclusive 200 Club

Cameron Jordan is on track to join Drew Brees in the Saints’ exclusive 200 Club. Find some wood and knock on it, just to be safe:

Sports bring out superstitions in a lot of fans, so if you’re more than a little stitious, find some wood and knock on it. But it’s worth noting that Cameron Jordan is in rare air. The big defensive end has been his team’s best defender for a generation, and he’s on pace to join Drew Brees in the New Orleans Saints’ exclusive 200 Club.

That’s right — Brees is the only player in franchise history to wear black and gold into 200 or more regular season games (having done so 228 times). Jordan is entering 2023 with 192 regular season games played in a Saints uniform, so he needs just eight more to achieve it. If you’re curious, that makes Week 8’s Indianapolis Colts road game the one to watch.

But what about postseason games? If you count the playoffs, Jordan (203) has already joined Brees (245). But so have a couple of other all-time greats, and Jordan has some work to do to catch up on No. 9. Here are the members of the Saints’ 200 Club* and those who came close to making the cut:

*Including the playoffs

Cameron Jordan climbs higher in NFL Network’s Top 100 players list

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan climbed higher in NFL Network’s Top 100 players list, as voted on by the players themselves:

The stats might say that Cameron Jordan took a step back in 2022, but don’t tell that to his fellow players. This year’s list of the Top 100 Players of 2023 from NFL Network put Cameron Jordan at a higher slot than he saw last summer — a list voted on by the players themselves. After clocking in at No. 69 in 2022, Jordan has risen to No. 50 overall after winning the Saints’ all-time sacks record.

Now that’s impressive. Jordan is still one of the team’s best defenders (our own list of the top 25 Saints players has him at No. 5) as he begins the next stage of his career, having celebrated his 34th birthday this summer. We’ll see whether the Saints can find a worthy successor for him at defensive end, but a new contract extension for Jordan would do a lot to ease fans’ concerns.

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25 most important Saints of 2023: No. 5, Cameron Jordan

25 most important New Orleans Saints players of 2023: Cameron Jordan is critical to the team’s success, ranking all the way at No. 5 | @DillySanders

The 2023 NFL offseason is in full swing, and with that, training camps edge ever closer to starting. We have seen a new wave of players enter the team both via the draft and free agency, but there is also a large group of returning players from last season as well. This has led to some debates to be had regarding which players will have the largest impact on the roster for the 2023 season.

Each day we will be counting down the 25 most important Saints for the 2023 season. This will be split up into the following categories:

  • Recap of their 2022 season
  • Projecting their 2023 success
  • What is the biggest question mark for them in 2023?

The fifth-ranked player by the Saints Wire staff is defensive end Cameron Jordan:

Cameron Jordan’s latest Saints headshot quickly goes viral on social media

Cameron Jordan’s latest Saints headshot quickly went viral on social media. Jordan jokes he’s preparing for either a music career or a fashion runway:

Cameron Jordan has a history of eccentric headshots — the New Orleans Saints defensive end’s piratical 2019 mustache will live forever — and his 2023 official team photo again hit its mark. Jordan’s newest experiment features a chinstrap beard and pencil-thin mustache as his latest foray into facial hair.

Of course it went viral on social media right away to a mix of admiration and derision. Jordan joked that he’s either preparing to release his first R&B album or hit the runway as a male fashion model. His new braids are a clean addition, too, in a nod to NBA legend Allen Iverson. How’s that for a fun milestone in Jordan’s own Hall of Fame-worthy career?

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Cameron Jordan says he’s seeking a ‘respectable’ offer in Saints contract talks

Cameron Jordan says he’s seeking a ‘respectable’ offer in New Orleans Saints contract talks, hoping for a three- or four-year extension:

This shouldn’t take too long to get done. CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson shared some takeaways from a recent conversation with New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan, who she says is seeking a “respectable” contract offer from the Saints on a three- or four-year extension. Contract talks with New Orleans have been ongoing all summer as both sides work to reach an agreement, with both Jordan and general manager Mickey Loomis publicly expressing their willingness to cut a deal.

Anderson adds that Jordan’s primary focus is on “winning a championship” and doing his part to help the team this year. That was clear when he was a voluntary participant at organized team activities earlier this year, unlike some of his veteran teammates, who only participated at mandatory workouts in June. Jordan has always led more by example than by his words, and that’s still something he emphasizes.

So what would a respectable offer look like? Jordan is hoping to sign for three or four more years, which would make sense. Nailing down the per-year salary is tricky. Jordan’s current average, $17.5 million per year, is a lot for someone with his mileage (though it’s warranted given his accomplishments as a perennial Pro Bowler and the franchise sacks leader). Something like the three-year, $40 million deal that Brandon Graham signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019 likely would not match Jordan’s market value. Maybe Chandler Jones’ three-year, $51 million contract hits the mark. Despite a mutual willingness, hammering out these specifics might be challenging for all involved.

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Voters describe Cameron Jordan as a likely Hall of Famer, but not yet a lock

These Hall of Fame voters described New Orleans Saints sacks leader Cameron Jordan as someone likely to be inducted, but not yet a lock:

Is Cameron Jordan a future Hall of Famer? That’s something a lot of New Orleans Saints fans take for granted, but he isn’t in the clear just yet, despite having won the team’s official sacks record last season. Just ask the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters at the The 33rd Team: Vic Carucci, Paul Domowitch, Clark Judge and Barry Wilner, who surveyed a number of Hall of Fame candidates to share their take this offseason.

They describe Jordan as a special talent who is likely to reach enshrinement, but if his career ended today he wouldn’t be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Here’s their explanation:

“With 115.5 career sacks and at least 7.5 a season since his 2011 rookie year, Cam Jordan made the 2010s All-Decade team.

The New Orleans Saints rarely have been a defense-first club, particularly when Sean Payton was coaching, and Drew Brees was behind center. 

‘It’s unusual for just one defensive player to stand out on a contending team built around its offense,’ Wilner notes. ‘Jordan would be that guy in New Orleans. He’s been as much a difference-making defender as most of his peers.’”

Jordan’s 115.5 career sacks and 8 Pro Bowl nods are impressive, but there are players who have logged more sacks than him and nearly as many Pro Bowl appearances, with more recognition on the Associated Press All-Pro lists, that are still waiting on their call from the Hall of Fame. Here are just some of them:

  • Jared Allen: 136 sacks, 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro lists
  • John Abraham: 133.5 sacks, 5 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro lists
  • Leslie O’Neal: 132.5 sacks, 6 Pro Bowls

If Jordan can continue to bag 7.5 or more sacks per year and agree on an extension to close out his career with the Saints, he’ll likely have a strong enough resume for Hall of Fame induction. But that’s exactly the voters’ point. He hasn’t separated himself from his peers with Defensive Player of the Year awards or league-leading sack numbers. He’s had the bad luck to share his time in the NFL with rare talents like Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt. If Jordan is going to earn a bronze bust in Canton, it’ll be because he continued to meet his high standards of play after his rivals called it quits. He’s on the right track. He just needs to keep it going for a couple more years.

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