Saints Defensive Tandem Could Still Have Future in New Orleans

Will any of the New Orleans Saints' pending free agents return to the franchise in 2026? It wouldn't be a surprise.

Dec 28, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) gives chase to Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) during the second half of the game at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints have some serious talent heading to free agency this offseason, but that doesn’t mean the team is going to lose all of the pieces. 

Early in the offseason each year, it's easy to feed into doom-and-gloom talk around the league when it comes to free agency. It doesn't take long for insiders, analysts and writers alike to all weigh in with predictions and rumors about where people will go.

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At the end of the day, though, there's no way to know. Free agency is not going to open until March. Over the next month or so, there will be plenty of chatter out there. Some of it will be in the Saints' favor. There will also be some in which people project or predict various members of the Saints to be playing elsewhere in 2026. One thing that the fanbase should view positively is the fact that FOX Sports' Greg Auman, at least, predicted that Cameron Jordan will stick around for another season in New Orleans.

The Saints have a few pending free agents to watch

Dec 21, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor (1) reacts to making a tackle against New York Jets quarterback Brady Cook (not pictured) during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"No. 77. Cam Jordan, DE, Saints," Auman wrote. "Jordan, 36, had a nice bounce-back season in 2025, getting 10.5 sacks after totaling six in the previous two years. He's a lifelong Saint and likely isn't going anywhere, but his continued production at an age where most edge rushers are long since retired is enough to put him on this list. He played on a cap-friendly $6 million contract last year and is likely to re-sign for much the same. He's up to 132 career sacks, so his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a given. Prediction: Re-signs with Saints."

That's not all, though. He said the same about young cornerback Alontae Taylor.

"43. Alontae Taylor, CB, Saints," Auman wrote. "Taylor, 27, will be a good test for whether the Saints, finally out of the salary-cap hell they've been stuck in for years, can keep their best homegrown players. Taylor was a second-round pick who held up well once the veterans in the New Orleans secondary moved on — two interceptions in 2025, six sacks over the last two years and at least 10 passes defensed in all four seasons. Was a second-half surge enough to convince Taylor he wants to help the Saints continue their growth? Prediction: Re-signs with Saints."

In a perfect world, both of these guys would be back in 2026. Now, this prediction doesn't mean that Mickey Loomis is going to cut a check for both of them tomorrow. But it does, at least, show that the perception out there right now is that both could be back.

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