Former Seattle Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins has found his next NFL opportunity.
Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced amid its 2026 training camp. Pittsburgh added the 32-year-old after evaluating its veteran options at safety, giving Jenkins an opportunity to play an 11th NFL season.
For Seahawks fans, Jenkins is best remembered for delivering one of the longest and most unusual touchdowns in team history. He returned a fumble 102 yards against the New York Giants during his lone season in Seattle, one of only two defensive touchdowns in his career.
Jenkins now joins his fourth team in four seasons after moving from Jacksonville to Seattle, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
Rayshawn Jenkins Delivered a Historic Seahawks Touchdown
Seattle signed Jenkins in March 2024 after moving on from longtime safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. Head coach Mike Macdonald described Jenkins as a player capable of providing experience and physicality to the new-look defense.
His defining Seahawks moment arrived against the Giants on October 6, 2024.
With New York facing fourth-and-goal, linebacker Jerome Baker forced running back Eric Gray to fumble near the Seattle goal line. Jenkins collected the ball in the end zone and ran untouched down the sideline for a 102-yard touchdown.
The Seahawks called it the longest defensive touchdown in franchise history, surpassing Bobby Wagner’s 98-yard interception return from 2018. It was also the NFL’s longest play of the 2024 season.
The score accounted for one of Jenkins’ two career defensive touchdowns. His first came with the Jacksonville Jaguars in December 2022, when he returned an interception 52 yards for a walk-off overtime score against the Dallas Cowboys.
Jenkins appeared in 13 games for Seattle and recorded 51 tackles and two sacks, according to NFL statistics. His season included time on injured reserve because of a hand injury.
Seattle released Jenkins in March 2025 as part of a group of veteran departures that also included George Fant, Dre’Mont Jones and Roy Robertson-Harris. The move was related to the Seahawks’ effort to reshape their roster and create financial flexibility.
Jenkins Gets a Training-Camp Opportunity in Pittsburgh
Jenkins spent the 2025 season with the Cleveland Browns, playing all 17 games and starting three. He finished with 45 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble.
Across 139 career games, including 92 starts, Jenkins has recorded 562 tackles, 11 interceptions and four forced fumbles. The Los Angeles Chargers originally selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft.
His Pittsburgh contract does not guarantee a major defensive role.
DeShon Elliott and Jaquan Brisker entered camp as the Steelers’ top conventional safeties, while veteran Jalen Ramsey could also receive snaps at safety or in the slot after returning from a knee issue. Ramsey began camp on the physically unable to perform list, though the injury was not expected to be long-term.
Pittsburgh officially made room for Jenkins by releasing veteran safety Darnell Savage. Jenkins will compete with the Steelers’ younger reserves for a roster spot while providing a proven option who has played more than 7,000 career defensive snaps.
His Seahawks stay did not last long enough to make him a fixture in Seattle’s secondary. But one end-zone recovery and a 102-yard sprint ensured Jenkins left behind a play that will remain in the franchise record book long after his departure.
Former Seattle Seahawks Playmaker Signs With Pittsburgh Steelers