The New Orleans Saints are finishing out their third set of OTA practices this week, and for the first time in a decade-and-a-half they're doing so without Cam Jordan on the field.
The Saints' all-time sacks leader and former first round pick is still unsigned, though he's made clear that his hope is to play a 16th NFL season, whether it's in New Orleans or elsewhere. It's all up to Cam, as Kellen Moore explained this week. A contract offer remains on the table, which was also noted earlier this offseason by Saints GM Mickey Loomis.
"Cam is kind of navigating this thing on the personal side," Moore said when asked about the current state of that relationship. "I think the world of Cam … and obviously here to help in any possible way, and so we know what he means to this organization, this city, so if the opportunity presents itself and he feels comfortable and ready to go, then we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
Jordan is coming off a resurgent season in which he logged 10.5 sacks and 32 tackles, taking full advantage of the incentive-laden deal he agreed to prior to the season, though he described the situation as playing for "half off." The Saints made some additions at the position, but nothing major. They traded a 5th round pick to the Raiders for former No. 7 overall pick Tyree Wilson, signed veteran Anfernee Jennings and brought back Chris Rumph. The edge rusher group is still headlined by Chase Young and Carl Granderson, but there'd appear to be room in the mix should Jordan opt to return.
"I think we have an offer for a reason," Moore continued, "and so we feel good about him and the production he had last year and so, you know, obviously we’ll continue to navigate that the best we can.”
The head coach noted that there's no hard timeline for when they'd hope to have a resolution. This week does represent a noteworthy deadline of sorts, though, with the full veteran minicamp looming next week. If Jordan were to agree to a deal prior, he'd be contractually obligated to attend. If he chose to take the offer after next week, he'd have until the start of training camp in July before he had to officially report for the first time. Jordan has always been a full participant in offseason workouts throughout his career.
“It’s just been a continuous conversation," Moore said. "I think Mickey and Cam have had a really good dialogue, I think, for a number of months now, just kind of talking through this thing and having open ears for everyone.”
The biggest questions to answer for Jordan will be whether he's satisfied with the deal presented, and the role offered by the Saints in the process. Speaking earlier this offseason, Jordan made clear he's not interested in returning just to ride the bench and feels his production in his age 36 season should garner more respect. He indicated early in the process that he had multiple opportunities, one of which was the Saints.
"Of course I’d love to be in New Orleans," Jordan said previously on Terron Armstead's podcast, "and at the same time, if the cents doesn’t make sense, you know, we’ve got to find our own path."
How about AK?
As far as the other all-time great player with some looming questions, Moore struck a more confident tone that Alvin Kamara would be in the mix for the 2026 season, but still stopped short of confirming anything.
I think that’s how you always prepare," Moore said when asked if he expected Kamara to be on the roster in 2026. "He’s on the roster and we’re excited about him and keep preparing the right way and I’m excited to get him into the fold with Travis [Etienne] and I think it’ll be a great opportunity.”
Kamara was the talk of last week's OTA session when he arrived unannounced the morning of Wednesday's practice. He took part in individual drills alongside Etienne for the first time, but did not participate in team drills. He was not in attendance for the next day's practice and was not at this week's session, though he is expected to be back for the veteran minicamp next week. For the past several years Kamara has skipped the optional OTA sessions while preparing on his own.
Kamara and Etienne have both made it clear they would be excited to team up in a tandem, not unlike past RB duos like Kamara and Mark Ingram or Kamara and Latavius Murray.
"It was great to see Alvin," Etienne said. "I watched Alvin my whole collegiate career. ... So, just for him to be here, I feel like that was big for me, you know, just to get to hear him talk, kind of pick his brain, see the things he does and I feel like when you have a veteran guy like that who has ... weathered the storm. He played with Drew Brees, he played with Hall of Famers, so it's always good to have that person on your side."
