Cameron Jordan declines 'sacrilegious' pitch to recruit Falcons QB Matt Ryan
Credit where it's due -- when Cameron Jordan commits to a bit, he doesn't back down. He set an NFL record by sacking longtime Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan 23 times, more than any other defender sacked a single QB in the history of pro football, and that rivalry isn't something the New Orleans Saints star wants to relinquish.
But the Saints need a quarterback. Specifically, they could use a veteran quarterback who has seen everything the league can throw at him, which isn't something younger guys like Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, and Tyler Shough can say just yet. When Kay Adams suggested the Saints could lure Jordan's old rival Ryan out of retirement on her "Up & Adams" show, he pushed back.
"No, absolutely not," Jordan said, repeating himself. "Absolutely not. That's sacrilegious. But not saying he's not a great man or quarterback, but yeah, that would never. Kirko Cousins in that same realm, guess who he plays for now? Like had he played for any other team, we could possibly say so, but that team, Can'tlanta? Can't do it."
Ryan last threw a football for the Indianapolis Colts in 2022, going 4-7-1 as their starter while completing 67% of his passes for 3,057 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns against 13 interceptions (and being sacked 38 times). Still, he led five fourth-quarter comebacks, tying a career-high he set in 2010, with four game-winning drives. Derek Carr didn't pull off a single fourth-quarter comeback in 27 games with the Saints, achieving a record of 14-13. And hey, he's younger than Aaron Rodgers (by about 17 months). Crazier things have happened.
But don't expect Jordan to throw his weight behind this proposal. If the Saints need a veteran backup, he reasons, why not bring back Jameis Winston? In the meantime, he'll support the guys on the roster and bide his time until the team is ready to make a full-court recruiting pitch.
"I'm gonna recruit a veteran quarterback properly when the time is right, and that's gonna probably take all the cap space that we have," Jordan grinned, pressing his hands together in focus.
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