Early into his 14th—and perhaps final—NFL season, Cameron Jordan clings to significance, possibility, symmetry and routines. So dawns another fall. It will be spent like all of the others on the New Orleans Saints’ defensive line. So resumes another push for that elusive Lombardi Trophy. So begins another symphony—of bruises, battered limbs and pain; of massages, ice baths and recovery; of interviews, workouts and practice sessions; of mentorship, community activism and fatherhood.
Plus, soon, a sharp divergence from the present. The shift looms on near horizons; the specifics, undefined. It beckons, this future, these visions of freedom, flexibility, actual free time. Jordan welcomes all; just not yet. For now, he will do as he has always done. Like on one day this August: up at 6 a.m., sauna, steam room, stretching, cupping therapy, then beach volleyball with the fam—all done, in one day, before training camp even starts.
