 Jordan with theNew Orleans Saints in 2012 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 94 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1989-07-10)July 10, 1989 (age 36) Chandler, Arizona, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 287 lb (130 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Chandler | ||||||||||||||
| College | California (2007–2010) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2011: 1st round, 24th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2025 | |||||||||||||||
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Cameron Tyler Jordan (born July 10, 1989) is an American professionalfootballdefensive end for theNew Orleans Saints of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theCalifornia Golden Bears, and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the2011 NFL draft. A member of theNFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Jordan is an eight-timePro Bowler, a three-timeAll-Pro selection, is the Saints' all-time franchise sack leader, and currently ranks in the top 20 all time in NFL sacks.
Jordan was born inChandler, Arizona, the son of formerMinnesota Vikingstight endSteve Jordan.[1] He attendedChandler High School inChandler, Arizona, where he was a two-sport star infootball and track for the Chandler Wolves. In football, he earned All-State honors his senior year after registering 85 tackles and 17.5quarterback sacks. Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com, Jordan was listed as the #37 strongsidedefensive end of the class of 2007.[2]
Also an outstandingtrack & field athlete, Jordan was one of the state's top performers in the discus throw. He captured the state title in thediscus at the 2007 5A I State Meet, recording a top-throw of 53.54 meters (175 ft 7 in), while also placing 10th in theshot put event, with a throw of 14.01 meters (45 ft, 11 in).[3]
Jordan primarily played defensive end for theUniversity of California at Berkeley.[4] He was coached by head coachJeff Tedford and defensive coordinatorBob Gregory. He played in 50 of 51 possible games and made 32 starts at California from 2007 to 2010. Jordan achieved honorable mentionAll-American (Pro Football Weekly) and first-team All-Pac-10 Conference choice as a senior in 2010 after two consecutive honorable mention All-Pac-10 campaigns in 2008 and 2009.
He finished his collegiate career with 175 tackles, while adding 34.0 tackles for loss (−122 yards) and 16.5 sacks (−89 yards) to rank just outside the school's all-time top 10 in each of the latter two categories. He also had one interception that he returned for three yards, five pass breakups, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries that he returned for a total of 41 yards and two touchdowns.[5][6]
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF | ||||||
| 2007 | California | Pac-10 | FR | DL | 13 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 0 |
| 2008 | California | Pac-10 | SO | DL | 12 | 26 | 21 | 47 | 11.0 | 4.0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | California | Pac-10 | JR | DL | 13 | 22 | 26 | 48 | 9.5 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | California | Pac-10 | SR | DL | 12 | 33 | 29 | 62 | 12.5 | 5.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 3 |
| Career | California | 50 | 88 | 87 | 175 | 34.0 | 16.5 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 34 | 2 | 3 | |||
On January 29, 2011, Jordan played in the2011 Senior Bowl and was part of Marvin Lewis's North team that lost 24–10 to the South.[7] His overall performance during Senior Bowl practice helped his draft stock and made him a definitive first round pick in the upcoming draft.[8] Jordan attended theNFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine and positional drills.
"He gives you a lot of scheme versatility. He had a great year, a great Senior Bowl and a great combine. If Cameron Jordan went in the top 10, nobody would rip that pick based on the way he played and how he performed at the two key venues."[9]
On March 9, 2011, he participated at California'spro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed defensive end drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Jordan was projected to be a first round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the second best defensive end prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com andSports Illustrated and was ranked the third best defensive end in the draft by NFL analystsGil Brandt andBrian Billick.[10][11][12]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Cameron Jordan's NFL Combine Workout | |
| NFL Combine Interview: Cameron Jordan |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 287 lb (130 kg) | 35 in (0.89 m) | 11+1⁄8 in (0.28 m) | 4.76 s | 1.71 s | 2.77 s | 4.37 s | 7.07 s | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | 25 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[13][14] | ||||||||||||
TheNew Orleans Saints selected Jordan in the first round (24th overall) of the2011 NFL draft.[15] Jordan was the fifth defensive end drafted in 2011, behindJ. J. Watt,Robert Quinn,Ryan Kerrigan, andAdrian Clayborn.[16] He was mistakenly called by theCleveland Browns after the draft ended, who meant to callUSC tight-endJordan Cameron for "Biographical Information".[17]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Saints draft Cameron Jordan 24th overall | |
| First Draft: Cameron Jordan | |
| NFL Draft Profile: Cameron Jordan |
On August 2, 2011, the Saints signed Jordan to a four-year, $7.73 million contract that includes $6.30 million guaranteed and asigning bonus of $4.12 million.[18][19]
Jordan enteredtraining camp slated as a starter, but saw competition for his job after the Saints signed veteran free agentTurk McBride. Head coachSean Payton named Jordan and McBride the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season afterWill Smith was suspended for the first two games of the regular season.[20][21][22]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Saints' season-opener at theGreen Bay Packers and made three combined tackles in their 42–34 loss. Jordan made his first career tackle on running backRyan Grant and ended a four-yard rush on the opening drive.[23] On October 16, 2011, Jordan collected a season-high six combined tackles in the Saints' 26–20 loss at theTampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6.[24] On January 1, 2012, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and made his first career sack during a 45–17 win against theCarolina Panthers in Week 17. Jordan sacked quarterbackCam Newton for a five-yard loss in the second quarter, but was penalized for a horse collar tackle.[25] Jordan finished his rookie season in2011 with 31 combined tackles (18 solo), four pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and 15 starts.[26]
The Saints finished first in theNFC South with a 13–3 record and earned a playoff berth.[27] On January 7, 2012, Jordan appeared in his first career playoff game and made one tackle in the Saints' 45–28 victory against theDetroit Lions in theWild Card Round.[28] The following week, Jordan was credited with his first career playoff start. He made six solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 35–32Divisional Round loss at theSan Francisco 49ers.[29]
Defensive coordinatorGregg Williams was not re-signed after the 2011 season and was replaced by formerSt. Louis Rams' head coachSteve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo retained Jordan and Will Smith as the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season.[30] Jordan started in the Saints' season-opener against theWashington Redskins and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (six solo) in their 40–32 loss.[31] In Week 9, Jordan made seven combined tackles and a season-high three sacks on quarterbackMichael Vick during a 28–13 victory against thePhiladelphia Eagles. Jordan also forced a fumble while sacking Michael Vick for a 12-yard loss on the Eagles' opening drive.[32] Jordan started in all 16 games in2012 and had a career-high 67 combined tackles (41 solo), three pass deflections, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.[33] The Saints finished with a 7–9 record in 2012.[34] Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire season due to theNew Orleans Saints bounty scandal.[35]
On January 24, 2013, the Saints fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo after the defense allowed an NFL record 7,042 total yards in 2012.[36] Head coach Sean Payton also announced that the defense would transition to a base3-4 defense.[37] During the draft, NFL analystMike Mayock stated Jordan was better suited to play in a 3–4 defensive alignment.[8] Defensive coordinatorRob Ryan named Jordan andAkiem Hicks the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season, alongside nose tackleBrodrick Bunkley.[38]
On September 15, 2013, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and a sack in the Saints' 16–14 win at the Buccaneers.[39] In Week 3, Jordan made four combined tackles and had two sacks on Cardinals' quarterbackCarson Palmer during a 31–7 victory against theArizona Cardinals.[40] On November 21, 2013, Jordan tied his season-high of six combined tackles, had a season-high of 2.5 sacks, and deflected a pass in the Saints' 17–13 win at theAtlanta Falcons.[41] On December 27, 2013, Jordan was selected to appear in the2014 Pro Bowl, which became his firstPro Bowl selection.[42] Jordan started in all 16 games in2013 and made 47 combined tackles (29 solo), 12.5 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.[43]
The Saints finished second in theNational Football Conference (NFC) South with an 11–5 record and earned a Wild Card berth. On January 4, 2014, Jordan made four combined tackles and had 1.5 sacks on quarterbackNick Foles in the Saints' 26–24 victory at the Eagles in the NFCWild Card Round.[44] The following week, he made six combined tackles and sacked Seahawks' quarterbackRussell Wilson during a 23–15 loss at theSeattle Seahawks in theDivisional Round.[45] He was ranked 99th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[46]
Head coach Sean Payton retained Jordan, Akiem Hicks, and Brodrick Bunkley as the starting defensive line in 2014.[47] In Week 8, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and made a season-high two sacks on quarterbackAaron Rodgers during a 44–23 win against the Packers.[48] On November 30, 2014, Jordan made a season-high six combined tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and made his first career interception in the Saints' 35–32 victory at thePittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. Jordan intercepted a pass by Steelers' quarterbackBen Roethlisberger, that was originally intended for wide receiverMarkus Wheaton, and returned it for a six-yard gain in the third quarter.[49] In Week 17, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and made 1.5 sacks on quarterbackJosh McCown in the Saints' 23–20 victory at the Buccaneers.[50] He started all 16 games in2014 and finished with 51 combined tackles (32 solo), 7.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and an interception.[51]
On June 2, 2015, the Saints signed Jordan to a five-year, $55 million contract with $33.46 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $15 million. His contract also includes $22.69 million guaranteed at signing, performance incentives, and a potential opt-out in 2019.[18]
During training camp, the Saints switched their base defense to a4–3 defense. Head coach Sean Payton also labeled Jordan a "Jack linebacker" in his defensive end role.[52] Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan named Jordan andAkiem Hicks the starting defensive ends to start the 2015 regular season, along with defensive tacklesJohn Jenkins andKevin Williams.[53] On November 16, 2015, the Saints fired defensive coordinatorRob Ryan and promoted defensive assistantDennis Allen to defensive coordinator in his place. Ryan's defense allowed the fourth most points in 2014 and allowed an average of 31.5 points per a game in the Saints' first six games of 2015.[54] On October 15, 2015, Jordan collected a season-high six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made a season-high three sacks on quarterbackMatt Ryan during a 31–21 victory against the Falcons in Week 6.[55] The following week, he made two solo tackles and two sacks in the Saints' 27–21 win at theIndianapolis Colts in Week 7.[56] Jordan started in 16 games in2015 and finished the season with 45 combined tackles (32 solo), ten sacks, five pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.[57][58]
On January 26, 2016, the Saints announced that Jordan had been selected to play in the2016 Pro Bowl as an injury replacement forNew England Patriots' defensive endChandler Jones.[59] He was ranked 99th on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2016 and was named a 2015 Pro Football Focus second-teamAll-Pro.[60][61]
Jordan retained his starting defensive end job along with a revamped defensive line that included,Paul Kruger and defensive tacklesTyeler Davison andNick Fairley.[62] In Week 10, Jordan collected a season-high nine combined tackles and a sack during a 25–23 loss to theDenver Broncos.[63] He started in all 16 games and made 58 combined tackles (40 solo), 7.5 sacks, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble.[64]Pro Football Focus gave Jordan an overall grade of 92.1 and ranked third among all edge rushers in 2016.[65]
Head coach Sean Payton named Jordan andAlex Okafor the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season, along with defensive tackles Tyeler Davison andSheldon Rankins.[66]
On September 11, 2017, Jordan made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack in the Saints' 29–19 loss at theMinnesota Vikings.[67] His sack brought his career total to 47.5 sacks, which was enough to surpassCharles Grant as eighth in franchise history.[68] On October 15, 2017, Jordan made four combined tackles, two sacks, and made an interception for his first career touchdown during a 52–38 win against the Lions in Week 6.[69] Jordan intercepted a pass by quarterbackMatthew Stafford, that was originally intended for tight endEric Ebron, and scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. His performance against the Lions earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[70] On November 5, 2017, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and 1.5 sacks during a 30–10 win against the Buccaneers.[71] He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November.[72] On December 19, 2017, Jordan was selected to the2018 Pro Bowl, marking the third selection of his career.[73] He started all 16 games and made 62 combined tackles (48 solo), a career-high 13 sacks, 11 pass deflections, two forced fumbles, an interception, and a touchdown.[74] He was named to his third Pro Bowl.[75] He earned First Team All-Pro honors for the first time.[76] Jordan earned an overall grade of 96.2 fromPro Football Focus, which was the highest grade among all qualifying edge rushers in 2017.[77] The Saints finished with a 11–5 record and won the NFC South.[78] In theWild Card Round against the Panthers, he had three combined tackles and two passes defensed in the 31–26 victory.[79] In theDivisional Round loss to the Vikings, he had two combined tackles in theMinneapolis Miracle.[80] He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[81]
In Week 2 against the Browns, Jordan recorded his first two sacks of the season onTyrod Taylor during the 21–18 win.[82]In the following week's game against the Falcons, Jordan recorded another two sacks onMatt Ryan during the 43–37 overtime win.[83]In Week 12 against the Falcons onThanksgiving Day, Jordan recorded another two sacks on Matt Ryan during the 31–17 win.[84]In Week 13 against theDallas Cowboys onThursday Night Football, Jordan recorded a season high 7 tackles and sackedDak Prescott twice. Jordan's second sack of the game was a strip sack which he recovered also late in the fourth quarter. Despite Jordan's stellar play, the Saints would go on to lose the game by a score of 13–10.[85]In the following week's game against the Buccaneers, Jordan sackedJameis Winston twice during the 28–14 win. This was Jordan's third game in a row with two sacks.[86]In the 2018 season, Jordan had 12 sacks, 49 total tackles, 21 quarterback hits, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble.[87] He earned his fourth career Pro Bowl nomination.[88]
The Saints finished with 13–3 record, won the division, and earned a first-round bye for the playoffs.[89] In theDivisional Round win over the Eagles, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and one pass defensed during the 20–14 win.[90] In theNFC Championship loss to theLos Angeles Rams, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and a quarterback hit during the 26–23 overtime loss.[91] He was ranked 41st by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2019.[92]
On June 11, 2019, the Saints signed Jordan to a three-year, $52.5 million contract extension with $42 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2023 season.[93] In Week 1 against theHouston Texans, Jordan recorded his first sack of the season onDeshaun Watson during the 30–28 win.[94] In Week 2 against the Rams, Jordan sacked and forced a fumble onJared Goff in the 27–9 loss. In the second quarter, Jordan forced a fumble off Goff and returned it for a touchdown. The referees initially ruled the play an incomplete pass. However, video replay revealed that Jordan forced a fumble, but his return for a touchdown did not count since the play had already been blown dead. After the game, Jordan was furious and referred the referees as "foot locker".[95] In Week 6 against theJacksonville Jaguars, Jordan sackedGardner Minshew twice during the 13–6 win.[96] A week later against theChicago Bears, Jordan sackedMitch Trubisky twice in the 36–25 win which was the Saints' sixth win of the season.[97] In Week 13 against the Falcons onThanksgiving Day, Jordan recorded a season high 6 tackles and sackedMatt Ryan 4 times in the 26–18 win.[98] Jordan won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance.[99]
Jordan finished the season with 52 combined tackles (38 solo), a career high 15.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and three pass deflections in 16 games started.[100]In theWild Card Round of the playoffs against the Vikings, Jordan recorded three tackles and sackedKirk Cousins once during the 26–20 overtime loss.[101] For his efforts in the 2019 season, Jordan earned his fifth career Pro Bowl nomination.[102] He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[103] He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Team All-Decade Team for the 2010s.[104]
In Week 11 against the Falcons, Jordan recorded three sacks onMatt Ryan during the 24–9 win.[105]In Week 12 against the Broncos, Jordan recorded a sack on wide receiverKendall Hinton during the 31–3 win.[106]Jordan was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in November.[107]In Week 15 against theKansas City Chiefs, Jordan was ejected from the game after punching Chiefs' guardAndrew Wylie.[108] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time.[109] He was ranked 46th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2021.[110]
In Week 15, Jordan had two sacks, five tackles, and a forced fumble in a 9–0 win over the Buccaneers, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[111] In Week 17, had eight tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three tackles for loss in a 18–10 win over the Panthers, earning his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season.[112] He was named to his seventh Pro Bowl for his efforts in the 2021 season.[113] He was ranked 69th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[114]
On December 10, 2022, the NFL fined Cameron $50,000 for faking an injury in the Week 13 game against the Buccaneers.[115] In Week 17, Jordan had three sacks, along with a forced fumble and five tackles, becoming the Saints all-time sack leader, surpassingRickey Jackson, in a 20–10 win over the Eagles, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[116][117] He was named as a Pro Bowler for the 2022 season.[118] He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[119]
On August 4, 2023, the Saints signed Jordan to a two-year contract extension with $27.5 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2025 season.[120] In the 2023 season, Jordan started in all 17 games. He finished with two sacks, 43 total tackles (20 solo), three passes defended, and one fumble recovery.[121]
Jordan finished the 2024 season with four sacks, 34 tackles, one interception, and four passes defended.[122] After the 2024 season, he was named the 2025Bart Starr Award winner for his contributions on and off the field.[123]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2011 | NO | 16 | 15 | 31 | 18 | 13 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 | NO | 16 | 16 | 67 | 41 | 26 | 8.0 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2013 | NO | 16 | 16 | 47 | 29 | 18 | 12.5 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | NO | 16 | 16 | 51 | 32 | 19 | 7.5 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6.0 | 6 | 0 | 5 |
| 2015 | NO | 16 | 16 | 45 | 32 | 13 | 10.0 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2016 | NO | 16 | 16 | 58 | 40 | 18 | 7.5 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2017 | NO | 16 | 16 | 62 | 48 | 14 | 13.0 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 2018 | NO | 16 | 16 | 49 | 35 | 14 | 12.0 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2019 | NO | 16 | 16 | 53 | 37 | 16 | 15.5 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2020 | NO | 16 | 16 | 51 | 34 | 17 | 7.5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2021 | NO | 16 | 16 | 59 | 38 | 21 | 12.5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2022 | NO | 16 | 16 | 66 | 40 | 26 | 8.5 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2023 | NO | 17 | 17 | 43 | 20 | 23 | 2.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2024 | NO | 17 | 17 | 34 | 18 | 16 | 4.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2025 | NO | 7 | 7 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 2.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Career | 233 | 232 | 735 | 475 | 260 | 124.0 | 162 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 6 | 1 | 66 | |
Jordan is aChristian.[125] Jordan is married to Nikki Jordan. They have four children.[126]
Jordan's father,Steve, was a tight end and played 13 years in the NFL with theMinnesota Vikings.[127] His sister is married toKasim Edebali.[128]
In 2017, Jordan went on aUSO tour to visit with American soldiers at bases in the Middle East and southwest Asia.[129]
