At least one New Orleans Saints mainstay will be back with the team in 2026.
Defensive end Cameron Jordan agreed to a new contract with the organization on June 16, according to multiple reports, after visiting the team earlier in the day.
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Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and the franchise’s all-time sack leader (132), will enter his 16th season with the Saints. Among active players, only Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward has matched his tenure without playing for another franchise.
A free agent since the start of the new league year in March, Jordan had expressed interest in a return but also said he was open to looking elsewhere. Saints coach Kellen Moore opened the team’s two-day mandatory minicamp by saying “we’d love to have (Jordan) back.”
“(We’re) here to help in any possible way,” Moore said earlier in June. “We know what he means to this organization and 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.”
The signing adds clarity to a Saints pass rush in flux. Chase Young led the way in 2025 with a career-high 10 sacks, which he parlayed into a three-year, $51 million extension in March. Jordan, however, led the team with 10 1/2 sacks – his most since 2021 – despite playing just 54% of the defensive snaps.
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Though Jordan is back in the fold, the Saints still have to sort out how to proceed with another longtime standout. Running back Alvin Kamara, who is due $11.5 million in salary in 2026, faces an uncertain future with the franchise heading into the summer.
“It’s a business both ways: on the team side and on the player side,” Kamara said at organized team activities earlier in June. “I always try to tell young dudes, anybody, when they ask me about how I navigate some of this stuff, it’s like, man, ‘You got to treat it like a business, you know what I’m saying?’ So you don’t get caught off guard. So nothing catching me off guard, man.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cam Jordan contract: NFL free agent decides on future for 16th season
