The New Orleans Saints have a decision to make on Cam Jordan's future -- at least it appears that way.
A 33-year-old defensive end heading into the final year of a contract wouldn't typically signal a guaranteed extension. But allow me to nerd out with a reference to The Matrix really quick (I rewatched the series recently -- still fantastic) when I say: The choice is an illusion, because the team already made it. I'm just here to help you understand why.
And it's not going to come down to sentimentality or some larger talent evaluation, it's going to come down to simple dollars and cents. If Cam Jordan isn't on the Saints next year, he'd count more than $23 million against the cap. The team can't afford that.
That's the topic we dive into in the latest episode of Inside Black & Gold. Listen in the player above and remember to rate/subscribe/review, wherever you get your podcasts. Can't see the embed? Click here.
For a way-too-oversimplified breakdown of how the Saints manage the cap, you need to understand three things. Extensions, restructures and void years. Virtually every time the Saints sign a player to an extension, they'll add void years to the back-end of the deal. Those years help spread out the cap hit, providing cap relief that season. The process of restructuring is simple, converting money into a bonus structure while pushing the cap hit down the road. The process works, even if its hotly debated every offseason in the talking-head world.
I should say: It works until the player is no longer on the roster. Mickey Loomis has said the Saints wanted to re-sign DE Marcus Davenport and DT David Onyemata this offseason, but at a certain point the money didn't make sense. Their departures, due to prior restructures, meant their dead cap hits advanced to the 2023 season. That made for $17 million in burnt cap space between those two players alone, throwing a bit of a wrench into what was otherwise a finely tuned cap machine.
If Jordan isn't on the Saints next year they'd be in a similar position, with $23.3 million in dead cap tied to one player. In a season where you'll also have similar questions around these three others (as pre-June 1 cuts), that feels unlikely:
- WR Michael Thomas: $18.1M
- G Andrus Peat: $13.2M
- QB Jameis Winston: $10.6M
It adds up fast, doesn't it? If all four of those players didn't land on the roster in 2024, they'd account for $65.2 million in dead cap. And there's only one player of that four, at least at this point, you can guarantee is still playing at a level that makes sense to bring back at all. It's Jordan, who has already indicated he plans to play until at least 2025.
“Forever," Jordan said last week when asked how long he hoped to play for.
"Realistically I don’t know if forever works, but we all have to get old sometime. I think someday I’ll check the tank and be like, hmm, it’s about that time. I’ve gone through scenarios in my head, what happens, what doesn’t happen. ... I love that I’m a part of Who Dat Nation. I’ve been here going on 13 years, and I don’t see myself ever leaving. How long do we play? We’ll see. As long as the love is still burning strong.”
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The Saints effectively had a decision to make on Jordan's future earlier this offseason. They chose to restructure his deal, freeing up $10 million. It was not a dire need, considering as I type this sentence the team still has significant cap space available. If you were in doubt about bringing Cam back beyond 2023 you'd have found another way to clear space and left his deal as it was.
It's unlikely any team steps in with the type of offer it'd take to lure Cam away from a deal offered by the Saints. He told me personally, only somewhat in jest, that the Browns could offer him a record-setting deal and he'd turn it down. He has no interest in playing somewhere cold, particularly after the experience he had in Cleveland last season. To me, the only way he's not on the roster would be because of an early retirement, and he certainly doesn't sound like a guy entertaining that idea.
But it does beg the question: If Cam retired today, would he be a Hall-of-Famer?
His stats feel right on the fringe. Here are Cam's career numbers, matched up with the past five comparable Hall of Fame DEs and Saints legend Rickey Jackson:
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CAM JORDAN
- Games played: 192
- Tackles: 639 (424 solo)
- Sacks: 115.5
- TFLs: 150
- FF: 15
- FR: 10
- PD: 15
- INT: 2
- Postseason: 5-6, 5.5 sacks, 38 tackles, 8 TFLs
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DEMARCUS WARE (2023)
- Games played: 178
- Tackles: 657 (505 solo)
- Sacks: 138.5
- TFLs: 171
- FF: 35
- FR: 8
- PD: 25
- INT: 3
- Postseason: 4-4, 7.5 sacks, 23 tackles, 8 TFLs, 1 FR
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BRYANT YOUNG (2022)
- Games played: 208
- Tackles: 627 (519 solo)
- Sacks: 89.5
- TFLs: 93
- FF: 12
- FR: 7
- PD: 20
- INT: 0
- Postseason: 6-5, 3 sacks, 32 tackles, 1 TFL
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RICHARD SEYMOUR (2022
- Games played: 164
- Tackles: 498 (326 solo)
- Sacks: 57.5
- TFLs: 91
- FF: 4
- FR: 8
- PD: 39
- INT: 2
- Postseason: 12-3, 4.5 sacks, 51 tackles, 5 TFLs, 2 FR
━━
JASON TAYLOR (2017)
- Games played: 233
- Sacks: 139.5
- TFL: 151
- FF: 46
- FR: 29
- PD: 87
- INT: 8
- Postseason: 4-5, 34 tackles, 0 sacks, 7 TFLs
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MICHAEL STRAHAN (2014)
- Games played: 216
- Tackles: 854 (663 solo)
- Sacks: 141.5
- TFL: 131* (not recorded til 1999)
- FF: 24
- FR: 15
- PD: 23
- INT: 4
- Postseason: 6-4, 9.5 sacks, 48 tackles, 9 TFLs (Super Bowl winner)
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RICKEY JACKSON (2010)
- Games played: 227
- Tackles: 1,180
- Sacks: 136
- TFL: n/a
- FF: 40
- FR: 29
- PD: n/a
- INT: 8
- Postseason: 3-5, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Note: Charles Haley & Joe Klecko not included due to inconsistent record-keeping when they played
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Not a bad comparison at the end of the day, but to answer my own question: No, I don't think he'd get in there if he retired after Year 13. He does now hold the Saints franchise record for sacks, and that definitely counts for something. He might sneak in after several years on the ballot, but it'd be a question mark. There are arguments to be made either way, but good thing he still has gas in the tank, right?
Two more years hitting his career averages and he'd have an even stronger case, but I think one thing might have to happen: One more postseason run as a key defensive contributor.
Look at Richard Seymour, for example, a player whom Cam has already eclipsed from a stat perspective. Seymour got in based on his remarkable postseason resume, and it's tough to argue. In the end, it's unlikely Cam can hit the gaudy numbers of a Jason Taylor, but he won't have to if his resume adds two or three ... or dare I say four more postseason wins. A Super Bowl appearance would cement things. An NFC Championship appearance probably would, too.
Cam is coming back one way or another. He's got more to do and, fortunately for the Saints, it appears he still has enough gas in the tank to get it done.
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