These and other aspects of the present invention will be better described with reference to the Detailed Description and the accompanying figures. A method and apparatus for out-of-order processing of packets using linked lists is described. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving packets in a global order, the packets being designated for different ones of a plurality of reorder contexts. The method also includes storing information regarding each of the packets in a shared reorder buffer. The method also includes for each of the plurality of reorder contexts, maintaining a reorder context linked list that records the order in which those of the packets that were designated for that reorder context and that are currently stored in the shared reorder buffer were received relative to the global order. The method also includes completing processing of at least certain of the packets out of the global order and retiring the packets from the shared reorder buffer out of the global order for at least certain of the packets.