As the New Orleans Saints prepare for a Week 17 showdown at Caesars Superdome, it represents finality and some big questions.
When the Saints face the Raiders, it will be the last time the black and gold take the field at their iconic stadium. There will be another NFL game played in the building during the Super Bowl in February, but the Saints were eliminated from the playoffs.
But will this be the last game on this field for several Saints veterans who have seen their share of better times? That remains to be seen. The elder statesman on the list is Cam Jordan as he closes out his 14th season in the NFL. Cam said he intended to continue playing but nothing was certain.
“It would be news to me if I didn’t, at the same time you never know,” Jordan said this week, while making it clear that if he did return, there would be no interest in playing a role as defensive tackle, which he’s doing this year at one of the highest rates of his career amid a defensive group led by young players like Chase Young and Carl Granderson. Jordan has seen his role increase since the team opted for a coaching change earlier this season and responded with three sacks and his generally solid run defense.
“I wouldn’t say I’m happy [playing more defensive tackle]. At the same time, it’s something I would say I’ve gotten better at this year. For it not to be my place, it’s been my place,” Jordan said. “That’s something that will definitely have to be addressed in the offseason.”
The Saints will face cap constraints for next season, currently estimated to be more than $60 million over the cap and with a host of contracts that are not designed to be given up for cap relief. But a lot could depend on what happens in leadership positions. The Saints must make a decision regarding the head coaching position, a position held by Darren Rizzi since Week 10. Sticking with him could mean keeping much of the current roster. A new head coach could have a whole new vision.
The Saints have a handful of fan favorites who, at the very least, are on the verge of deciding whether or not to continue their careers. Jordan is one of them at 35 years old. Linebacker Demario Davis is 35 years old in 13th grade and Tyrann Mathieu is 32 years old in 12th grade. Both players signed 2-year extensions before the season. For all the talk about age being an issue, these players have only missed one game in a season that has been as injury-plagued as any in recent memory.
The playoffs are not scheduled, but these three players will be on the field again in Week 17. The Saints will also have questions regarding players entering the final stages of their current contracts, like Derek Carr, and a host of players on the final year of their contracts or signing one-year deals such as TE Juwan Johnson and Chase Young. One aging star, Marshon Lattimore, has already been shipped away in a trade, while another hasn’t played this season and could choose to retire, Ryan Ramczyk.
“When someone puts on the film and watches this week’s game against the Raiders, there’s no footnote that says ‘here are the circumstances.’ That’s their job,” Rizzi said, “It’s their professional CV and they broadcast it on film and therefore no different from the coaching team, the players, it’s the same thing. So they are going to be evaluated if they are young, old or at middle somewhere, their video resume is their video resume and so if anyone should watch this film, whether in this building or elsewhere.
Still, Jordan will be the first to admit that this season has been among the most frustrating of his career. A fourth consecutive playoff failure is the longest streak of his career since entering the NFL as a first-round draft pick out of Cal in 2011. Could a 15 year come anywhere else? That remains to be seen. What isn’t is what the city of New Orleans meant to Jordan, and vice versa. If this is his last chance to step onto the Superdome field, he intends to make it memorable.
“There are two games left and there is still football to be played. You do it for the love of the game,” Jordan said. “If you don’t love the game, you should never have stepped on the field in the first place.”
