Veteran defensive end Cameron Jordan recently expressed how much he would like to return to the New Orleans Saints for a 16th NFL season. But Tuesday, The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy proposed the idea of Jordan playing for the Detroit Lions in 2026.
While detailing the lack of edge rushing depth the Lions possess this offseason, Pouncy wrote Detroit still needs to make several edge additions before the 2026 campaign to support Aidan Hutchinson.
Pouncey then suggested Jordan as the first edge rushing addition the Lions could make.
“The Lions will need to add two to three edge rushers to feel better here. Signing a veteran like Cameron Jordan would be an excellent start,” Pouncey wrote. “The second round of the draft also feels like a good spot to take an edge.
“The Lions could also use more at defensive tackle, after losing Lopez to the Cardinals. [D.J.] Reader is an unrestricted free agent.”
Jordan will turn 37 years old in July and hasn’t made the Pro Bowl since 2022. But he’s still a legitimate star in the league.
Last season, Jordan posted 10.5 sacks with 15 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits. He also had two forced fumbles and two pass defenses.
Jordan, who is an unrestricted free agent, has made $147.49 million in his NFL career according to Over The Cap.
Before free agency, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper projected Jordan to be worth $8 million on a 1-year contract this offseason.
Why Lions Should Pursue Cameron Jordan
A lot of Detroit pundits and fans appear to be holding out hope for a Maxx Crosby trade. Obviously, that blockbuster move would nullify the need for Jordan.
But a Crosby deal still appears unlikely. Meanwhile, Jordan is available in the free agent market.
He’s a short-term solution, but it could be a shrewd pickup for the Lions with the team needing to make multiple edge rusher additions.
Detroit could sign Jordan to a low-risk, 1-year contract and then draft an edge rusher early in the 2026 class. With that strategy, Jordan could start this fall while that edge rusher develops into the rotation.
Then by 2027, that early-round pick should be ready to replace Jordan in the starting lineup.
While he’s one of the older defenders in the league, Jordan has been incredibly durable. The defensive end has missed only two games in his 15-year career — one of which was due to COVID-19 protocols in 2021.
Last season, Jordan played 54% of New Orleans’s defensive snaps. He’s not an every-down player anybody. But there’s no injury concern, and the Lions should be fine with Jordan playing in a rotation if the team also adds a high-profile rookie edge rusher.
Will Jordan Pursue Other Opportunities Besides New Orleans?
Jordan has played all 243 of his NFL games with the Saints. That’s the most for any player in the franchise’s history.
So, a major question is whether he would consider playing elsewhere in 2026.
Jordan explained to his former teammate, Terrion Arnold, on “The Set with T.Stead” podcast that he wants to be back in New Orleans next season. But the defensive end suggested he won’t accept a hometown discount.
“As much as I love the city of New Orleans, as much as I want to be in the city of New Orleans … If things don’t add up to what I consider as value happen, I understand the business nature of it all,” he said, via NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘of course,’ you see guys my age re-sign with a team because that’s the only team they’ve ever been with, and you’re like, ‘hell yeah, we love that,’ but that’s to his situation. That may not be to my situation. As football players, we can only control what we can control. … You gotta be able to take your emotions out of it.
“Of course, I’d love to be in New Orleans, but at the same time, if the cents doesn’t make sense, then we have to find our own path.”
That should be music to Detroit’s ears.
Jordan seems open to playing elsewhere. The Lions make a lot of sense if they willing to match the defensive end’s contract desires.
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