Cam Jordan said he needs to talk to his wife, Nikki, before deciding whether to play in 2026.

It was a short conversation.

“I said, ‘I’d love to have your full support,'” the New Orleans Saints defensive end said. “She said, ‘You have 100 percent support.’ So it was pretty quick.”

By the end of the season, that was hardly a question. Jordan proved he could still produce at a high level after recording 10 and a half sacks in 2025, something the Saints weren’t expecting. The only mystery at this point is whether Jordan and the Saints can work out a new contract for next season, as the 36-year-old is set to become a free agent in March.

“This is where I always wanted to be, until they didn’t need me anymore,” Jordan said.

Jordan’s return creates an interesting wrinkle in what could be a complicated negotiation between the defensive end and the Saints. A year ago, Jordan took a pay cut of just over $6 million, with a built-in incentive to get some of it back if he performed well. But things are different now that Jordan has earned more than $2 million in incentives alone. Jordan is coming off his best season in years and will turn 37 in July.

The Saints and Jordan will need a few weeks to sort out the situation. But in the meantime, let’s not forget that Jordan put together one of the greatest “old guy” seasons in NFL history.

Here’s how:

unusual group

Since sacks became official in 1982, there have only been 10 instances in which a player reached at least 10 sacks in a season after turning 36 years old. The most recent example was when Jordan took down Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​in the final game of the season.

Take a look at some of the names Jordan has been a part of. Many of them appear multiple times.

1. Reggie White: 16 sacks in 1998 (age 37, Green Bay Packers)

2. Chris Doleman: 15 sacks in 1998 (37, San Francisco 49ers)

3. Kevin Green: 12 sacks in 1998 (age 36, Carolina Panthers)

4. Doleman again: 12 sacks in 1997 (36, San Francisco 49ers)

5. Green again: 12 sacks in 1999 (age 37, Carolina Panthers)

6. Julius Peppers: 11 sacks in 2017 (37, Carolina Panthers)

7. White again: 11 sacks in 1997 (36, Green Bay Packers)

8. Cam Jordan: 10 and a half sacks in 2025 (age 36, New Orleans Saints)

9. Thor Jones: 10 sacks in 1987 (age 36, Dallas Cowboys)

10. Bruce Smith: 10 sacks in 2000 (age 37, Washington Redskins)

That’s a total of seven players, five of whom are Hall of Famers. Jordan and Jones are the only ones not enshrined.

Jordan became the first defenseman over the age of 36 to record double-digit sacks since Peppers in 2017. Only 25 defensive players his age have recorded snaps, let alone sacks, in that span.

unexpected season

Jordan likes to say he knew he still had the ability to put together a season like this, and he often said all he needed was a chance. In those remarks, he usually threw a pot shot or two at former Saints defensive line coach Todd Grantham, who he felt was limiting his usage.

However, Jordan only had two sacks in 2023 and four sacks in 2024. Productivity, or lack thereof, could not be ignored.

“We were expecting 10 and a half sacks from him?” general manager Mickey Loomis said. “No, I wouldn’t say we expected it, but I’m excited for him.”

Jordan’s six-and-a-half sack jump from the previous year is one of the greatest in history considering his age. The last player over the age of 36 to increase six or more sacks from the previous year was Hall of Famer Michael Strahan in 2007. Strahan totaled three sacks in 2006, but had nine that year.

However, Strahan was limited to nine games due to a broken leg, reducing his playing age to 35. There weren’t many questions about Strahan’s play when healthy. Jordan, on the other hand, hasn’t missed a game since 2022 and has shown remarkable durability throughout his career despite battling several serious illnesses. (He credited part of his 2023 season slump to a foot injury that required surgery in the offseason).

Still, when a player reaches double-digit sack numbers, it usually means he’s playing at a high level. Peppers, for example, had a respectable seven and a half sacks in 2016 and had 11 sacks in 2017 at age 37.

Jordan seems to be one of the rare exceptions, and that’s why he’s worth noting.

rotation production

This may be the most impressive thing about Jordan’s comeback. He did it while serving in a rotational role.

Jordan started all 17 games, according to his stat sheet. But with the return of Chase Young, who missed the first five weeks with a calf injury, Jordan played less than half of his defensive minutes in eight games from Weeks 7 to 15.

Jordan recorded four sacks during that time. After that, he recorded four sacks in the final three games with increased playing time, but still never broke below 60%. As Jordan got older, the Saints tended to limit his snaps to keep him fresh throughout the season.

Overall, Jordan played 53.6% of the Saints’ snaps in 2025. Of the 17 players with at least 10 sacks this past year, Jordan played the third-lowest percentage of minutes, according to Stathead, behind only Arizona’s Josh Sweat (47.1% with 12 sacks) and Detroit’s Al-Quaddin Muhammad (41.4% with 11 sacks).

Jordan’s 590 snaps were the 17th-fewest of the 257 times a player recorded at least 10 sacks in a season since 2012, when Stathead began tracking players’ snap counts.

“The Saints just showed me they wanted me to be here,” Jordan said. “Okay, what’s the price? Some say it’s half the price of last year. You can’t do that anymore.”