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During the midst of a hectic second day of legal free agency tampering, one drastic move may have slipped through the cracks to some.
While many were busy being flabbergasted at the fact that Tom Brady will no longer be a member of the New England Patriots, another multi-time Super Bowl Champion was shown the door, as the Philadelphia Eagles announced they would not be exercising the 2020 contract option for perennial Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins, in return making him a free agent.
As you can expect, it didn’t take long for the free agency market to heat up for the star defender. Now, just a day after the Eagles opted to move on from Jenkins, the safety has found a new home, one he’s awfully familiar with.
Saints Signing Malcolm Jenkins
Early Wednesday morning, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints were closing in on a deal with Malcolm Jenkins that would mark the safety’s second tender with the organization over his soon to be 12-year NFL career.
Later on that day, the two came to terms on a contract agreement. According to Jordan Schultz of ESPN, Jenkins lands a four-year deal with the Saints worth up $35 million with 16.25 million guaranteed.
Saints Make Up For Previous Blunder of Letting Jenkins Walk
Jenkins began his now-storied career in New Orleans, having been selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. Jenkins entered the league as a cornerback, but it wasn’t until he made the switch to safety that his career truly started to blossom. Jenkins played with the Saints through 2013.
The Eagles then nabbed Jenkins as an unrestricted free agent for a contract worth $16.25 million over three years, which in retrospect is a complete and utter steal.
Per, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the decision to allow Jenkins to walk in free agency all those years back still haunts head coach Sean Payton to this day.
“Probably one of the bigger mistakes that we’ve made, and you have to ask yourself how did that happen? Letting him out of the building certainly wasn’t a smart decision.”
Now, six years later, the Saints have an opportunity to make up for that mistake by reuniting Jenkins to the team that drafted him, while simultaneously bolstering the backend of their defense.
Vonn Bell’s Time in New Orleans Likely Over
With the addition of a safety formerly of the Ohio State University, all signs point towards the likely end of another former Buckeyes safety’s tenure in New Orleans. A notion pointed out by Rapoport shortly after breaking the Jenkins, Saints news.
Bell has been a solid contributor in the Saints secondary during his time with the team. However, his play could certainly be upgraded upon, something the team believes it had done with the impending signing of Jenkins.
Bell enjoyed his best pro season back in 2018 when he posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.3.
Bell’s versatility to play within the box as well as the backend does make him an intriguing free agent option for NFL teams. He recorded his first NFL interception this past season, while being just two years removed from registering an impressive 4.5 sacks. He’s recorded eight sacks throughout his first four NFL seasons.
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