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Cameron Jordan is returning for one last ride with the New Orleans Saints on a one-year deal, and he has the Pro Football Hall of Fame in mind. Jordan has set Saints franchise records for games played (243), tackles for loss (175), and, crucially, sacks (132). It's enough to get Hall of Fame voters talking. But he needs to do a little more to get across the finish line.
Among the active leaders tracked since 1982, Jordan currently ranks 17th with 132 career sacks, second-most among active players; just four guys have more sacks than him and aren't already enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That group includes Leslie O'Neal (15th, with 132.5 sacks), John Abraham (14th, at 133.5 sacks), Von Miller (9th, 138.5 sacks), and Terrell Suggs (8th, 139 sacks). Miller and Jordan are the only two still active, but Miller isn't on a team right now. Jordan is the only guy in that group to spend his entire career with one team, too.
Those narratives matter. When the Hall of Fame voters gather in six or seven years (if 2026 is Jordan's last year in the NFL, he'll be eligible for the Class of 2032), storylines like Jordan spending his entire career with a single team will weigh heavily. Of the 20 all-time sacks leaders who made it to Canton, just three spent their career with a single team: Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor, both New York Giants; and Kansas City Chiefs legend Derrick Thomas. That's care company, but Jordan has proven he belongs in the same conversation as them. Now he just needs to seal the deal.
And it might only take a couple of sacks to get there. Jordan needs to get up to 135 sacks to make his case near-indisputable. That means coming away with three sacks in 2026, which would be manageable even if he didn't have 10.5 last year (he had six of them between 2023 and 2024). He probably wants to push the envelope to 140 and leap ahead of guys like Suggs, DeMarcus Ware (138.5) and Jason Taylor (139.5) in the top-10, but that's a little rich. Eight sacks in Year 16 would be a rare feat. Julius Peppers had 11 sacks in 2017, his 16th year in the NFL, while Bruce Smith had 10 sacks in 2000 (Year 16) and nine of them in 2002 (Year 18). Nobody else has been that productive this late in their career.
Jordan may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer even if he does go the distance. Jahri Evans was the best right guard of his generation and he's still waiting to get over the hump. Getting into the Hall of Fame isn't easy, and it shouldn't be. If Jordan gets a bronze bust in Canton, it'll be because he earned it.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Saints' Cameron Jordan needs 3 sacks
Continue reading...
Among the active leaders tracked since 1982, Jordan currently ranks 17th with 132 career sacks, second-most among active players; just four guys have more sacks than him and aren't already enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That group includes Leslie O'Neal (15th, with 132.5 sacks), John Abraham (14th, at 133.5 sacks), Von Miller (9th, 138.5 sacks), and Terrell Suggs (8th, 139 sacks). Miller and Jordan are the only two still active, but Miller isn't on a team right now. Jordan is the only guy in that group to spend his entire career with one team, too.
Those narratives matter. When the Hall of Fame voters gather in six or seven years (if 2026 is Jordan's last year in the NFL, he'll be eligible for the Class of 2032), storylines like Jordan spending his entire career with a single team will weigh heavily. Of the 20 all-time sacks leaders who made it to Canton, just three spent their career with a single team: Michael Strahan and Lawrence Taylor, both New York Giants; and Kansas City Chiefs legend Derrick Thomas. That's care company, but Jordan has proven he belongs in the same conversation as them. Now he just needs to seal the deal.
And it might only take a couple of sacks to get there. Jordan needs to get up to 135 sacks to make his case near-indisputable. That means coming away with three sacks in 2026, which would be manageable even if he didn't have 10.5 last year (he had six of them between 2023 and 2024). He probably wants to push the envelope to 140 and leap ahead of guys like Suggs, DeMarcus Ware (138.5) and Jason Taylor (139.5) in the top-10, but that's a little rich. Eight sacks in Year 16 would be a rare feat. Julius Peppers had 11 sacks in 2017, his 16th year in the NFL, while Bruce Smith had 10 sacks in 2000 (Year 16) and nine of them in 2002 (Year 18). Nobody else has been that productive this late in their career.
Jordan may not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer even if he does go the distance. Jahri Evans was the best right guard of his generation and he's still waiting to get over the hump. Getting into the Hall of Fame isn't easy, and it shouldn't be. If Jordan gets a bronze bust in Canton, it'll be because he earned it.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Pro Football Hall of Fame: Saints' Cameron Jordan needs 3 sacks
Continue reading...
