Cam Jordan: A couple of bumps with contract, but wanted to play whole career with Saints

Defensive end Cam Jordan officially returned to the Saints on Tuesday by signing a one-year deal that he indicated will be his final contract as an NFL player.

If that’s the case, it will mean Jordan spends his entire 16-year career with the same team. In a press conference on Tuesday, Jordan said that the prospect of doing that loomed large in conversations with General Manager Mickey Loomis and helped him get over “a couple of bumps” in the negotiating road.

“What it comes down to is lifestyle,” Jordan said, via the team’s website. “It’s the idea that I could have played for the same team for my entire career. The loyalty streak has always run deep with me, and I think a couple of years ago me and Mickey sat down and it was like, ‘Look, man, the way you’ve played, the way you’ve handled yourself, you’ll always have a job here.’ Now, it may not be what I think I’m worth or whatever it is, but it’s always been the idea that we’ve had an open line of communication. This is where I wanted to be, and [I] got back here.”

Jordan’s legacy as a Saints great was secure with or without this year’s contract, but going out as a lifelong member of the team will only strengthen his place in the franchise’s history.