Cam Jordan on facing Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos this season pic.twitter.com/LR7NakuUNM
— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 20, 2024
You’d be hard-pressed to find a player in the New Orleans Saints locker room that Sean Payton had more respect for than Cameron Jordan. The team’s ironman defensive captain rarely missed a snap in a decade with Payton working as his head coach, and Payton’s decision to walk away from the team was as hard on Jordan as anyone else in the building.
But that doesn’t mean Jordan is taking it easy in a prime time matchup with Payton and his new Denver Broncos squad. The last thing he wants to see is Payton leaving New Orleans with one more win, this time as the visitor. He spoke about the schedule and this awkward reunion with Payton at the Saints Hall of Fame golf tournament on Monday.
“It’s not like I’ve circled it on a calendar and marked it down, but it feels like we have to win that game. Everybody knows who Sean Payton is. Can’t let him. Can’t let him do that one,” Jordan laughed, shaking his head.
All eyes will be on New Orleans when Payton’s Broncos visit the Caesars Superdome in Week 7. They’ll get the Thursday Night Football highlight placement on Oct. 17.
It’s understandable that Jordan sees this as a point of pride; letting Payton walk back into the building and getting a win would be embarrassing. But how would it impact the Saints? In the greater scheme of things, not by much. This is an AFC-NFC crossover so it wouldn’t factor into playoff tiebreakers. And everyone believes Payton is a better head coach than his replacement Dennis Allen. So a loss wouldn’t really change their perception on the outside.
But that isn’t why they play the games. It isn’t why Jordan goes into surgery every other January and spends months recovering so he can play another season. There’s real meaning in getting a win, especially in a situation like this. Proving the Saints can win without Payton, who brought them their first Super Bowl, and beating him head to head has to be a big motivator for Jordan and his teammates. Payton’s presence is going to overshadow a lot of narratives surrounding this game once we get to it, but it’s important to remember how his presence impacts the players on the near sideline. This is a game Jordan, and the Saints, desperately want to win.
