As Jordan and Hill approach career crossroads, they're helping the rebuilding Saints win again

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Two longtime Saints players in their mid-30s — who are not under contract for next season — are coming off memorable and emotional home finales that have ignited discussions about their NFL future.

Whether defensive end Cameron Jordan or versatile offensive skill player Taysom Hill return next season remains to be seen. But their effort and commitment during a difficult rebuilding season has drawn high praise from first-year coach Kellen Moore.

“Those guys are the best,” Moore said. “They are the ultimate lead-by-example guys."

Moore called their contributions to this non-playoff season “really, really special," adding, “These guys are playing really good football right now.”

Jordan, 36, and in his 15th NFL season — all with New Orleans — had two sacks during the Saints' 29-6 victory over the New York Jets, raising his team-leading total to 8 1/2.

The 35-year-old Hill, who came back from a major, 2024 knee injury, accounted for 116 total yards as a runner, passer and receiver — a performance highlighted by a game-sealing 38-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Jordan and Hill both took time to salute the crowd on their way off the field and acknowledged that while playing for the Saints means a lot to them, they cannot be certain what their future holds.

Jordan, who has 130 career sacks, has hinted repeatedly that he's not ready to retire, tossing out names of other defensive ends who played into their late 30s, such as Julius Peppers (who played 17 seasons and retired at 39). But without a contract, he noted, it's hard to forecast whether or where he'll play in 2026.

At the very least, general manager Mickey Loomis felt compelled to walk into the Saints' locker room after Sunday's game, put an arm around Jordan's shoulder, and say a few private words that made the veteran pass rusher smile.

Hill didn't go into much detail about potentially retiring or playing elsewhere, but he did get emotional discussing how important the Saints organization has become to him since claiming him off waivers after the 2017 preseason.

When Hill's wife, Emily, asked him before Sunday's game whether he thought it might be his last as a Saint in the Superdome, he said he “didn’t really feel any type of way, but as I was driving to the stadium, you start to think about the last nine years and what it’s meant to me and my family.”

“So, for me personally, you just try to take it all in,” he added.

Moore isn't ready to discuss looming offseason decisions yet. After starting 1-7, the Saints (5-10) have a chance to finish with seven wins. The coach said on Monday he'd like the club's focus to remain squarely on the games to come.

“We've got two weeks left and this is all that we worry about,” Moore said. “We want to finish this thing off as well as we can for every single player. ... We're trying to create winning habits.”

New Orleans' pass coverage has been among the NFL's best, which might explain why Jets rookie QB Brady Cook looked indecisive and took eight sacks. After allowing the Jets 131 net yards passing, the Saints rank fifth in the NFL in yards passing allowed per game (177.3) and ninth in total defense (303.5).

The Saints' injury-ravaged running game could use more production. New Orleans finished with 84 yards rushing on Sunday and ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing, averaging 92.8 yards per game.

Receiver Chris Olave continued to build his case as one of the NFL's leading comeback players. He missed nine games last season, mostly because of a major concussion that cast uncertainty over his career. His 10 catches for 148 yards and two TDs against the Jets increased his season totals to 92 catches for 1,044 yards and eight TDs — all career highs.

“It was a tough time last year,” Olave said. “I was only 24 years old, contemplating retirement. ... I just gave it another try, another chance and it’s been a great year.”

Third-year NFL running back Evan Hull has seen the most action of his career in recent weeks with New Orleans because of injuries to Alvin Kamara and Devin Neal. But staying in the rotation might require more production. He gained 3 yards on five carries against the Jets.

Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) and tight end Foster Moreau (ankle) both will likely be out for at least one game, Moore said. It remains unclear when Kamara (knee and ankle), who's missed the past four games, will return.

1 — The number of first-year coaches in Saints history to have a four-game winning streak. That was Jim Haslett, whose 2000 playoff team won six straight. Moore could become the second with a victory this weekend.

The Saints travel for their final two games, beginning at Tennessee this Sunday for a matchup between non-playoff teams that are coming off victories. New Orleans finishes the season at Atlanta.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore walks on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) holds on to the ball after a pass completion as New York Jets safety Dean Clark (35) defends during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) leaves the field after an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Ella Hall)

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan greets fans after an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's pitch to send Americans $5,000 checks should Republicans prevail in the November midterms is drawing scorn from some members of Congress — the very people who have constitutional authority over federal spending.

Economists and other political observers are voicing concerns about the potential effects on inflation and the national balance sheet. Taken together, it's a swift reaction that makes clear that Trump's dubious election-year gambit is likely little more than another grand promise from a politician with a long history of them.

“Donald Trump is a known liar. This is the biggest liar to ever serve in government. Period,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, a California Democrat who was in Dallas on Thursday as part of his party's effort to counter Republicans' midterm convention. “The dividend is not happening.”

Trump previously pledged to use savings from the Department of Government Efficiency and revenue from tariffs on foreign imports to distribute payments of $2,000 or more, but none of that came to pass.

His latest idea comes as the U.S. economy is reckoning with persistent inflation and rising interest rates, two forces that have politically undermined Republicans after previously helping them reclaim power from Democrats. Trump claimed the payments would be possible because of the economy’s strength, yet consumer sentiment is weak as gasoline prices are increasing because of the war with Iran and wages are struggling to keep pace with inflation.

A few of Trump's allies embraced the idea, including Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, who said he would prepare legislation for the payments. Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg, the Republican chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, said “it was the first I heard of it last night” but called it good economic policy.

“If it can be done, the American taxpayer deserves the benefit of having more in their pocket than the government,” Walberg said ahead of a brief session in the Capitol on Thursday.

But critics accused him of trying to buy votes at a time when Republicans are trying to maintain slim majorities in Congress.

“I don’t know about you all, but frankly I’m insulted by the notion that my vote this November could be bought for 5k,” Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is one of Trump's least favorite lawmakers, wrote on social media. “Not to mention the inflation this would cause.”

Rep. Ted Lieu, vice chairman of the House Democratic caucus, outright mocked the president.

“If Democrats flip the House and Senate everyone will get a $10,000 dividend, and a pony, and free ice cream for life,” he posted on social media. “(Folks can also choose free yogurt for life, because we’re Democrats after all).”

The president's proposal, unveiled in his nearly two-hour speech Wednesday night in Dallas, would carry a price tag exceeding $1.3 trillion if Congress were to authorize $5,000 payments to the nation's 270 million adults.

The Treasury already is running a current annual deficit approaching $1.8 trillion, and the total national debt topped $40 trillion this year. According to Treasury Department data, that interest expense for fiscal year 2026 will come to about $1.27 trillion, similar to the projected cost of Trump's idea.

Economists raised concerns about inflationary effects from such a large infusion of cash into the economy.

Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, said Trump would be repeating the same policy mistake as his predecessor, Democrat Joe Biden.

As part of his 2021 pandemic relief package, Biden provided $1,400 payments to most Americans, which Strain had warned at the time would spark inflation.

“But Mr. Trump’s proposal would be worse than the Biden stimulus in the sense that in 2026 the economy already has an inflation problem,” Strain said, while Biden's policy was intended to shore up an economy disrupted by COVID-19.

“Trump would be pouring gasoline on lit inflationary embers and hoping it wouldn’t ignite,” Strain said.

At the center-left Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, senior policy director Marc Goldwein agreed with the comparison to Biden's policy and emphasized the potential impact on the deficit.

“The idea that we’ve had fiscal success is backwards and bordering on laughable,” he said. “We don’t have surpluses to give away.”

The financial markets appeared to be unimpressed by Trump’s promise. Interest rates on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note climbed above 4.9% in Thursday afternoon trading, meaning that the cost of mortgages and auto loans will likely rise in ways that hurt the middle class.

Many Republicans, including from Trump's inner circle, are in a difficult spot after they’ve spent years blasting Biden and other Democrats for their spending.

As recently as last week, Vice President JD Vance and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent blamed Trump's predecessor when asked about current price levels and consumer concern.

In the White House briefing room, Vance said at once that he was not interested in assigning blame while in the same answer noting “how endemic inflation became during the Biden administration.”

Bessent told CNBC that Biden and his allies “torched the American people” with their approach. “Almost 50 percent of the great inflation came from the out-of-control spending that went on then,” he argued.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, one of Trump's press secretaries during his first presidency, ran into the same conundrum Thursday — after the president's speech — when she shared on social media her appearance on Fox Business Channel.

“You do not build a strong economy by giving things away,” Sanders said.

“At the end of the day, though, somebody has to pick up the check,” she continued, “and it’s the taxpayers that will ultimately pay the price.”

Goldwein said ultimately that political and constitutional realities could spare the president.

“You never want to say it’s impossible,” he said. “But within the confines of the law, at least the law as everybody understands it, the president does not have legal authority to send people $5,000 per adult, and he needs Congress to pass a law.”

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Barrow reported from Atlanta.

President Donald Trump speaks at the Republican convention, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)