Malcolm

Jenkins

Jenkins turned 34 in December and had been mulling retirement since the end of the season. A three-time Pro Bowler, Jenkins had his ironman streak of 133 straight starts ended last season. He will retire with the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2009 draft. He spent five years with the Saints before six with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl with both teams. Jenkins retires with 21 career interceptions, 20 forced fumbles, and eight defensive touchdowns.

Jenkins said after the season that he had to think about his future, not committing to coming back in 2022. Heading into his age-35 season, Jenkins again started 16 games for the Saints (missing one to the COVID-19 list), but recorded just five passes defensed, his lowest since his rookie season in 2009. Jenkins remains a useful player even at his age, so if he opts not to come back it would be a bit of a blow to a Saints secondary that already lost Marcus Williams in free agency.

The Saints now have $29.9 million in available cap space. Having emerged as a leading contender to land Deshaun Watson, the Saints are doing what they have to do to actually be able to fit the quarterback on their books. They still have work to do, as Watson carries a $40 million cap hit in 2022, but they’re getting close. We’ll likely hear of more contract restructures soon, provided Watson isn’t traded to another team first.

It turned out the quarterbacks weren’t the only Saints being added to the COVID-19 list today. Only Jenkins is a primary player for New Orleans this year, but where there’s this much COVID-19, it’s likely that we’ll see more additions in the days to come. The Saints only held an estimated practice today in advance of their Monday night game against the Dolphins.

The Saints cleared $9.4 million in cap space between the two, but there’s still more room to create before New Orleans gets back under the cap. Expect restructures or extensions to Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, and other core players. When it’s all set, the Saints will likely have their cornerstones in place, but the front office will be in the market for ancillary replacements on both sides of the ball. Emmanuel Sanders and Jared Cook have both been released already.

The Saints also redid OL Andrus Peat’s contract to save $6 million this year. These are the latest moves in the team’s ancient practice of trying frantically to get under the salary cap. Even after these restructures, the Saints are around $55 million over the cap. Jenkins, formerly of the Eagles, signed a four-year, $32 million contract with New Orleans last spring. Jenkins, 34, is signed through the 2023 season.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport made it official. The deal also includes $16.25 million guaranteed. Jenkins will be returning to the Saints after spending the last six seasons with the Eagles. In Philly, he wore many hats, including covering tight ends in the slot and roaming deep as a traditional safety. Jenkins’ deal will force Vonn Bell elsewhere. The Saints are giving this thing one more final push with Drew Brees.

This would be the latest example of the Saints playing magician with the salary cap to sign a well-respected free agent. The Eagles opted to decline their option on Jenkins for the 2020 season, knowing that the safety was requesting $14 million annually. A versatile defender with years of experience, Jenkins would be an awesome fit to plug up the Saints’ void at safety. It would also be a reunion as Jenkins played in New Orleans from 2009-2013.

Jenkins had previously threatened to hold out at his current $7.6 million base salary, instead requesting $14 million annually. The two sides seemingly won’t be working out the deal, as the Eagles released a statement noting, “After thorough discussion with Malcolm and his agent, Ben Dogra, both sides agreed on the difficult decision to turn the page on what was an incredible six-year relationship.” Jenkins can fit into any defense thanks to his versatility, as the 32-year-old safety has regularly seen snaps as a linebacker, slot corner, strong safety and free safety over the years.

Jenkins has threatened to holdout at his current $7.6 million base salary. He wants $14 million annually, but it’s hard to see the Eagles going that high. Philly may look to add some guarantees and an extra year or two to his deal to keep Jenkins around.