Jenkins: Won’t go back to Eagles on current deal
Ryan Clark says the Eagles losing Carson Wentz to a head injury after a hit by Jadeveon Clowney deflated them vs. the Seahawks. (0:51)
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins made it clear Monday that he’ll either be playing on a new contract in Philadelphia in 2020 or he’ll be playing elsewhere.
“I won’t be back on the same deal. That won’t happen,” Jenkins said as players cleaned out their lockers following Sunday’s 17-9 wild-card playoff loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Jenkins, 32, is entering the final year of a four-year, $35 million deal and is scheduled to make a base salary of $7.6 million. The safety market has shifted considerably over the past year, with top-tier players like Earl Thomas and Landon Collins netting contracts that average around $14 million per season.
Jenkins’ desire for a pay bump came to light before the season. He uncharacteristically skipped voluntary workouts in the spring but was in attendance for mandatory activities and put all public contract-related talk aside as the season approached.
He played every defensive snap for the fifth time in six seasons in Philadelphia, finishing with 80 tackles, 2.5 sacks, eight passes defensed and four forced fumbles while serving as both a versatile piece in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s system and as a team leader.
He had a conversation with owner Jeffrey Lurie before the start of the season that made him feel valued, Jenkins said at the time, but to this point there hasn’t been any meaningful movement toward a new contract.
“I’m not one to beg,” Jenkins said. “I am a very prideful person, so I feel like what I put out there this year, what I put on tape, what I’ve given to this team is more than enough. I can’t do any more. So for me, I feel good about that; that it’ll be good enough for me to go into this offseason with certainty that I’ll be fine.”
Jenkins has been a part of two Super Bowl champion teams — the New Orleans Saints in 2009 and the Eagles in 2017. He hasn’t missed a game since signing with the Eagles in free agency in 2014.
“I want to be valued, I want to be compensated for what I’m worth, but I want to win, I want to be in a good locker room,” Jenkins said of his priorities. “I’m a prideful person who enjoys to compete and win, but I’m not a dummy either. So at this point in my career, I weigh all these things.”