Pre-draft On January 29, 2011, Jordan played in the
2011 Senior Bowl and was part of Marvin Lewis's North team that lost 24–10 to the South. His overall performance during Senior Bowl practice helped his draft stock and made him a definitive first round pick in the upcoming draft. Jordan attended the
NFL Scouting Combine and performed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 9, 2011, he participated at California's
pro 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 and
Sports Illustrated and was ranked the third best defensive end in the draft by NFL analysts
Gil Brandt and
Brian Billick.
2011 The
New Orleans Saints selected Jordan in the first round (24th overall) of the
2011 NFL draft. Jordan was the fifth defensive end drafted in 2011, behind
J. J. Watt,
Robert Quinn,
Ryan Kerrigan, and
Adrian Clayborn. He was mistakenly called by the
Cleveland Browns after the draft ended, who meant to call
USC tight-end
Jordan Cameron for "Biographical Information". On August 2, 2011, the Saints signed Jordan to a four-year, $7.73 million contract that includes $6.30 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $4.12 million. Jordan entered
training camp slated as a starter, but saw competition for his job after the Saints signed veteran free agent
Turk McBride. Head coach
Sean Payton named Jordan and McBride the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season after
Will Smith was suspended for the first two games of the regular season. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Saints' season-opener at the
Green Bay Packers and made three combined tackles in their 42–34 loss. Jordan made his first career tackle on running back
Ryan Grant and ended a four-yard rush on the opening drive. On October 16, 2011, Jordan collected a season-high six combined tackles in the Saints' 26–20 loss at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6. On January 1, 2012, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and made his first career sack during a 45–17 win against the
Carolina Panthers in Week 17. Jordan sacked quarterback
Cam Newton for a five-yard loss in the second quarter, but was penalized for a horse collar tackle. Jordan finished his rookie season in
2011 with 31 combined tackles (18 solo), four pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and 15 starts. The Saints finished first in the
NFC South with a 13–3 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 7, 2012, Jordan appeared in his first career playoff game and made one tackle in the Saints' 45–28 victory against the
Detroit Lions in the
Wild Card Round. The following week, Jordan was credited with his first career playoff start. He made six solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 35–32
Divisional Round loss at the
San Francisco 49ers.
2012 Defensive coordinator
Gregg Williams was not re-signed after the 2011 season and was replaced by former
St. Louis Rams' head coach
Steve Spagnuolo. Spagnuolo retained Jordan and Will Smith as the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season. Jordan started in the Saints' season-opener against the
Washington Redskins and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (six solo) in their 40–32 loss. In Week 9, Jordan made seven combined tackles and a season-high three sacks on quarterback
Michael Vick during a 28–13 victory against the
Philadelphia Eagles. Jordan also forced a fumble while sacking Michael Vick for a 12-yard loss on the Eagles' opening drive. Jordan started in all 16 games in
2012 and had a career-high 67 combined tackles (41 solo), three pass deflections, eight sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. The Saints finished with a 7–9 record in 2012. Head coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire season due to the
New Orleans Saints bounty scandal.
2013 On January 24, 2013, the Saints fired defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo after the defense allowed an NFL record 7,042 total yards in 2012. Head coach Sean Payton also announced that the defense would transition to a base
3–4 defense. During the draft, NFL analyst
Mike Mayock stated Jordan was better suited to play in a 3–4 defensive alignment. On September 15, 2013, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and a sack in the Saints' 16–14 win at the Buccaneers. In Week 3, Jordan made four combined tackles and had two sacks on Cardinals' quarterback
Carson Palmer during a 31–7 victory against the
Arizona Cardinals. 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 the
Atlanta Falcons. On December 27, 2013, Jordan was selected to appear in the
2014 Pro Bowl, which became his first
Pro Bowl selection. Jordan started in all 16 games in
2013 and made 47 combined tackles (29 solo), 12.5 sacks, four pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. The Saints finished second in the
National 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 quarterback
Nick Foles in the Saints' 26–24 victory at the Eagles in the NFC
Wild Card Round. The following week, he made six combined tackles and sacked Seahawks' quarterback
Russell Wilson during a 23–15 loss at the
Seattle Seahawks in the
Divisional Round. He was ranked 99th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.
2014 Head coach Sean Payton retained Jordan, Akiem Hicks, and Brodrick Bunkley as the starting defensive line in 2014. In Week 8, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and made a season-high two sacks on quarterback
Aaron Rodgers during a 44–23 win against the Packers. 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 the
Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 13. Jordan intercepted a pass by Steelers' quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, that was originally intended for wide receiver
Markus Wheaton, and returned it for a six-yard gain in the third quarter. In Week 17, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and made 1.5 sacks on quarterback
Josh McCown in the Saints' 23–20 victory at the Buccaneers. He started all 16 games in
2014 and finished with 51 combined tackles (32 solo), 7.5 sacks, five passes defensed, and an interception.
2015 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. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan named Jordan and
Akiem Hicks the starting defensive ends to start the 2015 regular season, along with defensive tackles
John Jenkins and
Kevin Williams. On November 16, 2015, the Saints fired defensive coordinator
Rob Ryan and promoted defensive assistant
Dennis 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. On October 15, 2015, Jordan collected a season-high six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made a season-high three sacks on quarterback
Matt Ryan during a 31–21 victory against the Falcons in Week 6. The following week, he made two solo tackles and two sacks in the Saints' 27–21 win at the
Indianapolis Colts in Week 7. Jordan started in 16 games in
2015 and finished the season with 45 combined tackles (32 solo), ten sacks, five pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble. On January 26, 2016, the Saints announced that Jordan had been selected to play in the
2016 Pro Bowl as an injury replacement for
New England Patriots' defensive end
Chandler Jones. He was ranked 99th on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 and was named a 2015 Pro Football Focus second-team
All-Pro.
2016 Jordan retained his starting defensive end job along with a revamped defensive line that included,
Paul Kruger and defensive tackles
Tyeler Davison and
Nick Fairley. In Week 10, Jordan collected a season-high nine combined tackles and a sack during a 25–23 loss to the
Denver Broncos. He started in all 16 games and made 58 combined tackles (40 solo), 7.5 sacks, six pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
Pro Football Focus gave Jordan an overall grade of 92.1 and ranked third among all edge rushers in 2016.
2017 Head coach Sean Payton named Jordan and
Alex Okafor the starting defensive ends to begin the regular season, along with defensive tackles Tyeler Davison and
Sheldon Rankins. On September 11, 2017, Jordan made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and a sack in the Saints' 29–19 loss at the
Minnesota Vikings. His sack brought his career total to 47.5 sacks, which was enough to surpass
Charles Grant as eighth in franchise history. 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. Jordan intercepted a pass by quarterback
Matthew Stafford, that was originally intended for tight end
Eric Ebron, and scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter. His performance against the Lions earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. On November 5, 2017, he collected a season-high seven combined tackles and 1.5 sacks during a 30–10 win against the Buccaneers. He earned NFC Defensive Player of the Month for November. On December 19, 2017, Jordan was selected to the
2018 Pro Bowl, marking the third selection of his career. 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. He was named to his third Pro Bowl. He earned First Team All-Pro honors for the first time. Jordan earned an overall grade of 96.2 from
Pro Football Focus, which was the highest grade among all qualifying edge rushers in 2017. The Saints finished with a 11–5 record and won the NFC South. In the
Wild Card Round against the Panthers, he had three combined tackles and two passes defensed in the 31–26 victory. In the
Divisional Round loss to the Vikings, he had two combined tackles in the
Minneapolis Miracle. He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 In Week 2 against the Browns, Jordan recorded his first two sacks of the season on
Tyrod Taylor during the 21–18 win. In the following week's game against the Falcons, Jordan recorded another two sacks on
Matt Ryan during the 43–37 overtime win. In Week 12 against the Falcons on
Thanksgiving Day, Jordan recorded another two sacks on Matt Ryan during the 31–17 win. In Week 13 against the
Dallas Cowboys on
Thursday Night Football, Jordan recorded a season high 7 tackles and sacked
Dak 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. In the following week's game against the Buccaneers, Jordan sacked
Jameis Winston twice during the 28–14 win. This was Jordan's third game in a row with two sacks. In the 2018 season, Jordan had 12 sacks, 49 total tackles, 21 quarterback hits, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble. He earned his fourth career Pro Bowl nomination. The Saints finished with 13–3 record, won the division, and earned a first-round bye for the playoffs. In the
Divisional Round win over the Eagles, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and one pass defensed during the 20–14 win. In the
NFC Championship loss to the
Los Angeles Rams, Jordan recorded three combined tackles and a quarterback hit during the 26–23 overtime loss. He was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.
2019 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. In Week 1 against the
Houston Texans, Jordan recorded his first sack of the season on
Deshaun Watson during the 30–28 win. In Week 2 against the Rams, Jordan sacked and forced a fumble on
Jared 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". In Week 6 against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, Jordan sacked
Gardner Minshew twice during the 13–6 win. A week later against the
Chicago Bears, Jordan sacked
Mitch Trubisky twice in the 36–25 win which was the Saints' sixth win of the season. In Week 13 against the Falcons on
Thanksgiving Day, Jordan recorded a season high 6 tackles and sacked
Matt Ryan 4 times in the 26–18 win. Jordan won the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance. 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. In the
Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Vikings, Jordan recorded three tackles and sacked
Kirk Cousins once during the 26–20 overtime loss. For his efforts in the 2019 season, Jordan earned his fifth career Pro Bowl nomination. He was ranked 23rd by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020. He was named to the Pro Football Hall of Team All-Decade Team for the 2010s.
2020 In Week 11 against the Falcons, Jordan recorded three sacks on
Matt Ryan during the 24–9 win. In Week 12 against the Broncos, Jordan recorded a sack on wide receiver
Kendall Hinton during the 31–3 win. Jordan was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his performance in November. In Week 15 against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Jordan was ejected from the game after punching Chiefs' guard
Andrew Wylie. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time. He was ranked 46th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 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. 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. He was named to his seventh Pro Bowl for his efforts in the 2021 season. He was ranked 69th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 On December 10, 2022, the NFL fined Cameron $50,000 for faking an injury in the Week 13 game against the Buccaneers. In Week 17, Jordan had three sacks, along with a forced fumble and five tackles, becoming the Saints all-time sack leader, surpassing
Rickey Jackson, in a 20–10 win over the Eagles, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was named as a Pro Bowler for the 2022 season. He was ranked 50th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
2023 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. 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.
2024 Jordan finished the 2024 season with four sacks, 34 tackles, one interception, and four passes defended. After the 2024 season, he was named the 2025
Bart Starr Award winner for his contributions on and off the field.
2025 Jordan finished the 2025 season with 10.5 sacks, 47 total tackles (32 solo), two passes defended, and two forced fumbles. ==Career statistics==