The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy this offseason to be the team’s head coach, but the franchise was adamant that it isn’t undergoing a rebuild. The Steelers will enter the 2026 season with championship aspirations, and their roster confirms that. Pittsburgh has a ton of older, established stars who are looking to reach the mountaintop before calling it a career.
The Steelers can add another player who fits that profile by exploring an intriguing free agency option. That player is veteran defensive lineman Cam Jordan, who is currently a free agent for the first time in his career. Turning 37 years old in July, the defender isn’t ready to hang it up yet after already playing 15 seasons. Considering the timeline for Jordan and Pittsburgh, the franchise could look into signing him.
Pittsburgh Steelers could explore signing veteran defensive lineman Cam Jordan
Jordan is one of the league’s best defensive linemen of the last decade, establishing himself as such with the New Orleans Saints. Drafted in 2011, the defender is an eight-time Pro Bowler, including six straight from 2017 to 2022. He hasn’t been to the Pro Bowl since 2022, but Jordan is still a productive pass rusher.
In 2025 with the Saints, Jordan played in all 17 games, recording 10.5 sacks, 47 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, and two forced fumbles. To make those numbers for the 36-year-old even more impressive, he produced them while only playing 54% of New Orleans’ defensive snaps.
That certainly has to appeal to a team like the Steelers, who need edge depth and also have their sights set on contending for a Super Bowl. Of course, Pittsburgh already has T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig at the outside linebacker spots, and Cam Heyward and Derrick Harmon at end, but productive depth is always great — especially when dealing with older guys.
Bringing in Jordan could help keep the pass rush productive late into the year, and it also would signal that the Steelers are once again pushing all their chips to the middle of the table. Signing a 37-year-old for his 16th season in the league makes it clear that the priority is now, and not the future. That would be fitting, as Pittsburgh’s roster already makes that argument.