With Cameron Jordan, one of the NFL’s active leaders in career sacks, returning for another season, TeamFB7 looks at where Jordan stands historically and other players in range of all-time milestones in 2026.
One of the more notable remaining NFL free agents found a familiar home Tuesday, as veteran edge rusher Cameron Jordan re-signed with the New Orleans Saints to play a 16th season with the only team in the league he’s ever known.
The video Jordan posted to social media included a reference to “one final season” and he reiterated in a news conference later that he is indeed looking at 2026 that way.
“We’re gonna take everything the way we want to. Year 16, how many more years you want me to play?” Jordan said Tuesday. “I definitely am going to take to this like every game is my last to ever play.
“I’ma treat it like it’s [my] final season with intention because I believe between God and my wife that’s the only two people that can get me back through.”
Jordan, who turns 37 next month, was selected 24th overall by the Saints in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Cal and is one of the most accomplished players in franchise history with 8 Pro Bowls, a first-team All-Pro honor and two second-team All-Pro nods.
With Jordan maintaining all along that he planned to play this season, it always made sense that it happen with the Saints, who had a need for an edge rusher after not taking one in the draft or addressing the position in free agency otherwise.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported Jordan is signing an incentive-laden one-year deal.
It’s a win-win for both sides as the Saints get to let a franchise icon finish his career where it started, and Jordan can add to his Hall of Fame case while continuing to move up the all-time sacks list.
Jordan turned back the clock last season with 10.5 sacks — his seventh season with double-digit sacks — after totaling just 6 combined over the previous two seasons. If he can replicate that in his final campaign he’s in range of potentially moving himself into the top 10 on the career sacks list.
Jordan ranks second among active players with his 132 sacks — behind only Von Miller’s 138.5 — while already holding the Saints’ franchise record and ranking 22nd overall in NFL history, needing 10 more to surpass Michael Strahan (141.5) for the current 10th spot (depending on how Miller adds to his own total).
With that in mind, let’s look across the league at all the players chasing milestones or significant historical markers in this 2026 NFL season.
Players Chasing Milestones, History In 2026 NFL Season
Rams WR Davante Adams: He enters his 13th NFL season with 1,017 receptions (16th all-time) for 12,633 (26th) and 117 touchdowns (7th). That leaves Adams 11 TDs from matching Marvin Harrison (128) for 5th all-time, 59 receptions from matching Anquan Boldin (1,076) for 10th but with free agent Keenan Allen (1,055) ahead of him in that chase if he plays another season, and 1,144 yards from matching Henry Ellard (13,777) in 15th with Travis Kelce (13,002), Mike Evans (13,052) and free agent DeAndre Hopkins (13,295) ahead him among active players. Adams had 60 catches for 789 yards and 14 TDs in 14 games last season but topped 1,000 yards each of the previous five years.
Free Agent WR Keenan Allen: The 34-year-old Allen remains a free agent after catching 81 passes for 777 yards and 4 TDs in his return to the Chargers last season. With 1,055 career receptions (13th) for 12,051 yards (33rd) and 70 TDs (tied for 52nd), Allen has a realistic chance at chasing exclusive company on the receptions list needing 21 to match Boldin in 10th place and 47 to match Marvin Harriosn (1,102), who currently ranks 5th. But Travis Kelce (1,080) is ahead of Allen on the career list and likely to get there first, while 4th (Jason Witten’s 1,228) is out of reach for both players this year.
49ers WR Mike Evans: After 12 years in Tampa Bay, Evans joined the 49ers and enters 2026 with 866 career receptions (31st) for 13,052 yards (21st) and 108 TDs (10th). Evans’ streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons was snapped last season due to injuries, but he’ll be 33 years old this season with a lot of football still ahead of him. Evans will need a couple of seasons to catch Harrison for 5th on the receiving TDs list (128 … with Adams ahead of him in the chase), but Evans is within striking distance of the top 10 in receiving yards, needing 1,293 to match Reggie Wayne (14,345).
| NFL Career Receiving Leaders | Years | Yards |
| 1. Jerry Rice | 1985-2004 | 22,895 |
| 2. Larry Fitzgerald | 2004-20 | 17,492 |
| 3. Terrell Owens | 1996-2010 | 15,934 |
| 4. Randy Moss | 1998-2012 | 15,292 |
| 5. Isaac Bruce | 1994-2009 | 15,208 |
| 6. Tony Gonzalez | 1997-2013 | 15,127 |
| 7. Tim Brown | 1988-2004 | 14,934 |
| 8. Steve Smith Sr. | 2001-16 | 14,731 |
| 9. Marvin Harrison | 1996-2008 | 14,580 |
| 10. Reggie Wayne | 2001-14 | 14,345 |
| 11. Andre Johnson | 2003-16 | 14,185 |
| 12. James Lofton | 1978-93 | 14,004 |
| 13. Cris Carter | 1987-2002 | 13,899 |
| 14. Anquan Boldin | 2003-16 | 13,779 |
| 15. Henry Ellard | 1983-98 | 13,777 |
| 18. DeAndre Hopkins | 2013- | 13,295 |
| 21. Mike Evans | 2014- | 13,052 |
| 23. Travis Kelce | 2013- | 13,002 |
| 26. Davante Adams | 2014- | 12,633 |
| 33. Keenan Allen | 2013- | 12,051 |
Rams EDGE Myles Garrett: Garrett has finished 1st, 3rd and 1st in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting the last three seasons and is at the peak of his powers after setting the NFL single-season record with 23 sacks last year. Now with the Rams after being traded from the Browns this month, Garrett is chasing plenty of history in his age-30 season. If he wins Defensive Player of the Year again, he’d join Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald as the only three-time winners of the award in history. Also, with 125.5 career sacks, he is 16 away from matching Michael Strahan (141.5) for 10th all-time — though veterans Cameron Jordan (132) and Von Miller (138.5) are also pushing for the top 10 this season.
Ravens RB Derrick Henry: Henry is the only active running back inside the top 40 in career rushing yards, ranking 10th with 13,018 and with plenty of room to climb in 2026. Coming off a season in which he rushed for 1,595 yards and 16 TDs, the seemingly ageless Henry could pass up to five more RBs on the all-time list while chasing down Eric Dickerson (13,259), Jerome Bettis (13,662), LaDainian Tomlinson (13,684), Curtis Martin (14,101) and Adrian Peterson (14,918) for spots 9-5. Henry is already 4th all-time with 122 rushing TDs, behind Smith (164), Tomlinson (145) and Marcus Allen (123), whom he should obviously pass this year.
| NFL Career Rushing Leaders | Years | Rushing Yards |
| 1. Emmitt Smith | 1990-2004 | 18,355 |
| 2. Walter Payton | 1975-87 | 16,726 |
| 3. Frank Gore | 2005-20 | 16,000 |
| 4. Barry Sanders | 1989-98 | 15,269 |
| 5. Adrian Peterson | 2007-21 | 14,918 |
| 6. Curtis Martin | 1995-2005 | 14,101 |
| 7. LaDainian Tomlinson | 2001-11 | 13,684 |
| 8. Jerome Bettis | 1993-2005 | 13,662 |
| 9. Eric Dickerson | 1983-93 | 13,259 |
| 10. Derrick Henry | 2016- | 13,018 |
Free Agent WR DeAndre Hopkins: Hopkins is the NFL’s career leader (18th all-time) with 13,295 receiving yards and is expecting to play in 2026 at 34 years old but remains unsigned. Hopkins had just 22 catches for 330 yards and 2 TDs with the Ravens last season, but he only needs 481 yards to match Ellard for 15th on the all-time list. With 1,006 career receptions (17th all-time), he’d need 25 to move into 15th place if both he and Adams match Ellard. With 85 touchdowns (T-19th), Hopkins would need 6 to tie Isaac Bruce for 15th place.
Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: Per BetMGM, Jackson has the second-best preseason odds (behind Josh Allen) to win NFL MVP. With two MVPs already, another would put Jackson in exclusive territory as Manning (5), Rodgers (4), Brady (3), Jim Brown (3), Favre (3) and Johnny Unitas (3) are the only three-time winners.
Saints EDGE Cameron Jordan: With 132 career sacks, he needs 9.5 sacks to match Strahan (141.5) for 10th in NFL history, although as noted, Garrett and Miller are both in range of that mark this year as well.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: This could be the final season of Kelce’s storied career as one of the greatest tight ends in league history, and he enters it with 1,080 receptions (8th overall), 13,002 yards (23rd) and 82 receiving TDs (T-31st). He’s going to remain third all-time among tight ends in receptions behind Tony Gonzalez (1,325) and Jason Witten (1,228), but with even a modest season he’ll pass Harrison (1,102) for 5th on the overall list. Meanwhile, Kelce needs just 45 yards to pass Witten (13,046) for second-most among tight ends behind Gonzalez (15,127). Kelce would need 10 TDs to both pass Jimmy Graham (89) and match Rob Gronkowski (92) for third among TEs in TDs behind Antonio Gates (116) and Gonzalez (111).
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: Like Jackson, Mahomes has two MVP awards already and another would put him in that aforementioned elite group of three-time winners. Mahomes is tied for the fourth-best preseason MVP odds, per BetMGM, as he returns from the major knee injury that ended his 2025 season short. Mahomes is already one of just five QBs to win three Super Bowls, and a fourth would tie him with Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana for second-most behind Brady’s seven.
Free Agent EDGE Von Miller: As noted, Miller is the active leader with 138.5 career sacks, ranking tied for 13th all-time and just 3 behind matching Strahan for the 10th spot on the list, as it presently stands.
Free Agent K Matt Prater: Set to turn 42 years old before the season, Prater doesn’t have a job yet for 2026, but he ranks 13th all-time with 1,908 career points and needs just 53 to match Robbie Gould (1,961) for 10th and could climb as high as sixth (Matt Stove, 2,004) with a full season.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers: Back for what he says will be his final NFL season, Rodgers has 66,274 career passing yards (5th) and 527 passing TDs (4th). He needs 13 touchdown passes to surpass Peyton Manning (539) for third all-time behind Tom Brady (649) and Drew Brees (571), but Rodgers is unlikely to move up the passing yards chart with fourth-place Brett Favre (71,838) 5,564 yards ahead.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford: Stafford is committed to playing at least two more years coming off one of the best seasons of his career as he won his first MVP with 4,707 passing yards, 46 TDs and 8 INTs. He enters 2026 just behind Rodgers on the career passing yards chart in 6th place with 64,516. That won’t change this season, but over these next two years he’ll have a chance to pass Rodgers (66,274), Favre (71,838), Manning (71,940) and Brees (80,358) to climb as high as second all-time behind Brady (89,214). This year, meanwhile, Stafford should pass the recently re-retired Philip Rivers for TD passes, needing just three to move into sixth place but still a way to go to catch Favre (508) for fifth.
| NFL Career Passing Leaders | Years | Passing Yards |
| 1. Tom Brady | 2000-22 | 89,214 |
| 2. Drew Brees | 2001-20 | 80,358 |
| 3. Peyton Manning | 1998-2015 | 71,940 |
| 4. Brett Favre | 1991-2010 | 71,838 |
| 5. Aaron Rodgers | 2005- | 66,274 |
| 6. Matthew Stafford | 2009- | 64,516 |
| 7. Ben Roethlisberger | 2004-21 | 64,088 |
| 8. Philip Rivers | 2004-25 | 63,984 |
| 9. Matt Ryan | 2008-22 | 62,792 |
| 10. Dan Marino | 1983-99 | 61,361 |
Free Agent LB Bobby Wagner: Wagner remains a free agent but fully intends on playing in 2026 at 36 years old after tallying 162 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 2 interceptions last season for the Commanders. He has every incentive to keep going too. With 1,150 career solo tackles, Wagner ranks fifth all-time (solo tackles didn’t become an official NFL stat until 1994) behind Ray Lewis (1,568), London Fletcher (1,384), Derrick Brooks (1,300) and Lavonte David (1,172). In terms of combined tackles (solo and assisted), with standardized tracking of the stat available back to 1987, Wagner ranks third overall with 2,000 behind Lewis (2,059) and Fletcher (2,039). So he could finish 2026 as the unofficial official NFL career leader in combined tackles and potentially top 3 in solo tackles, although it’s only a modern-era record as tracked by Pro Football Reference.
49ers LT Trent Williams: Williams will play his 16th NFL season at 38 years old and is still one of the better left tackles in football. He’s tied for 9th overall and tied for second among offensive linemen (behind Bruce Matthews’ 14) with 12 Pro Bowl honors. Another would move him into a tie for 6th overall and second place alone among offensive linemen.
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