Shortly after letting Malcolm Jenkins walk, the Eagles moved to bring back their other veteran safety.
The Eagles announced Tuesday afternoon -- about 90 minutes after formally cutting ties with Jenkins -- that they’ve agreed on a two-year deal with Rodney McLeod.
Roster Move: #Eagles have agreed to terms with S Rodney McLeod on a two-year contract. pic.twitter.com/cTAiRiJ7sD
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 17, 2020
According to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro, the deal is worth $12 million over two years.
Rodney McLeod's deal with #Eagles is two years, $12 million, per source
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) March 17, 2020
The average of $6 million per year makes McLeod right around the 24th-highest-paid safety in the league, according to Spotrac.
It's a fair contract for a key defensive player.
McLeod originally signed a five-year, $35 million deal in 2016, and that deal was restructured last year, eliminating the 2020 season and dropping his salary last year from $7 1/2 million to $4 million, including a $1 million bonus for playing all 16 regular-season games.
McLeod would have become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday if the Eagles hadn't signed him.
Jenkins and McLeod have been the Eagles’ safeties the last four years, but McLeod will have somebody new across from him in 2020 after the Eagles cut ties with Jenkins after six seasons.
McLeod, who turns 30 in June, isn’t Jenkins, but he’s been a very solid, very consistent and under-rated player in his four years with the Eagles.
In the Super Bowl win over the Patriots, McLeod made two open-field touchdown-saving tackles on Rob Gronkowski.
He has eight interceptions over the last four seasons, most of any Eagle, despite missing most of the 2018 season with a knee injury suffered in Week 4.
McLeod spent his first four seasons with the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia.
Earlier Tuesday, the Eagles re-signed Jalen Mills, who many believe could be playing alongside McLeod at safety in 2020.
With Halapoulivaati Vatai, Kamu Grugier-Hill and Jenkins all gone and Jason Peters and Nelson Agholor not expected back, McLeod and Mills are among only 11 players on the roster who were here in 2016, Pederson’s first year as head coach.
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.