Who Will Pearl Jam Hire As Their New Drummer? We Have Suggestions

By Andy Greene

Andy Greene

A new era of Pearl Jam history is set to begin Sept. 27 when the band walks onstage at the Ohana Festival in Dana Point, California, and unveils their new drummer. The slot has been open since Matt Cameron’s amicable departure from the band in July 2025, and the group confirms they’ve indeed made their selection, but it’s somehow remained a complete secret. “It’s our mystery wrapped in an enigma,” Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament said in May, “and we’re relishing in it right now.”

Hardcore Pearl Jam fans have found the situation deeply frustrating, and they’ve spent the past few months feverishly speculating about who it might be. New names surface every few weeks, and there’s always a fan who claims to have the inside scoop, but nothing resembling evidence is ever produced. It leaves us in a very bizarre place where the show is days away, and we have not idea whatsoever what’s going to happen.

But that won’t stop us from speculating. Here’s a list of 18 possibilities, along with the pros and cons of picking each one, and the odds they’ll get the job. They begin in the realm of the possible, move into the world of the unlikely, and end with a handful of ones that are astronomically unlikely — or simply impossible.

• Josh Freese

  Image Credit: Pedro Gomes/Getty Images

  Throughout the past four decades, Josh Freese has been part of an astounding number of big-name bands, including Foo Fighters, Weezer, Devo, Sublime, Nine Inch Nails, Guns N’ Roses, and the Offspring, in addition to playing on more than 400 albums. There’s perhaps no drummer of the modern era with a more impressive resume, and he can adapt to any genre of music with ease. Pros: He’s a pro’s pro who could effortlessly take the baton from Matt Cameron and run with it.

  Cons: His Foo Fighters tenure lasted just two years, and ended for reasons nobody has quite articulated. Does Dave Grohl know something the rest of us don’t know?

  Odds: On the higher end of the spectrum. There’s almost no way he wasn’t at least considered.