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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