Time to secure Jenkins to a long-term deal
PHILADELPHIA >> The quarterbacks were the focus on the first day of Eagles organized team activities Tuesday.
Breaking: Carson Wentz practiced without the knee brace. Wentz plus DeSean Jackson is greater than defenses.
No one really cared that Tre Sullivan and Andrew Sendejo lined up at safety on this postcard perfect Tuesday at the NovaCare Complex or that three-time Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins, the heartbeat of the defense, barely was conspicuous by his absence.
Which is mind blowing when you consider which player has added the most value to the Eagles over his career.
Jenkins barely has missed a snap, much less an OTA since joining the Eagles five years ago and he’s an afterthought because as we all know, the NFL is a quarterback driven league, especially with the Eagles, who haven’t had a quarterback make it through a season healthy since Wentz played all 16 games in his rookie year.
Jenkins, upstaged in absentia, basically left head coach Doug Pederson to pick up the pieces. And you know how transparent Coach Doug is at even the hint of a contract related issue.
“As you guys know, I’m not going to get into any kind of personal conversations that we’ve had,” Pederson said. “It is a voluntary program and Malcolm is one of those guys, leader of the football team and I am not concerned with him. We’re going to keep our focus on the guys that are here and get better today.”
Pederson typically says that when any key player stays away from the offseason work, be it Michael Bennett, Darren Sproles, Jason Peters or whoever. Bennett and Sproles aren’t around anymore. Peters wasn’t present Tuesday. Jenkins is 31 with a lot of mileage on his legs.
Jenkins also is different than the others. First and foremost, none of them contributed to a Super Bowl championship. Jenkins has earned the Eagles’ focus and attention.
Rewind to the Super Bowl season. No individual, not even Nick Foles, did more than Jenkins to lead the Eagles to their first Lombardi trophy.
Without Jenkins there would have been no bestselling Nick Foles autobiography. Jenkins delivered the eloquent, “we all we got, we all we need” pep talk following Wentz’s ACL injury in Los Angeles late in the 2017 season. More importantly, Jenkins got the players – including Foles - to believe it was true.
Let’s be honest about that. When Foles took over for Wentz, it wasn’t pretty. Not immediately. It had to leave players thinking, that’s all we got, that’s all we need? Seriously? Foles wasn’t exactly living in the moment, as he liked to say, because that was gruesome.
Jenkins and the defense were so firmly in the corner of Foles, they got him to believe he could beat Tom Brady on the biggest stage.
Though the Super Bowl turned into a shootout, the Philly defense made just enough plays to win. Who would have believed Brady could throw for 505 yards and three touchdowns and lose?
The parade down Broad Street validated the immeasurable contributions of Jenkins, who, regardless of your politics, also has been a tireless worker dealing with social issues that have made him unpopular.
It’s time for the Eagles to show that they care about Jenkins, the quintessential warrior, teammate and coach on the field.
Pro football is the ultimate bottom line sport. It’s about what you’ve done lately. And Jenkins is coming off another stellar season, again playing a key role in rallying the defense and the Eagles around Foles, who led them to the playoffs after a disastrous start concluded with Wentz injuring his back.
When injuries decimated the secondary, Jenkins found himself surrounded by young players signed off the streets, including cornerback Cre’Veon LeBlanc, who he turned into a player.
Had it not been for a Foles pass that deflected off the hands of Alshon Jeffery in the divisional playoffs in New Orleans, it would have been the Eagles, not the Saints, taking on the Los Angeles Rams for the right to go to a second straight Super Bowl.
By the way, Jenkins, Foles and the Eagles, who were heavy underdogs, defeated the Rams and Jared Goff in the regular season.
Re-signing Wentz obviously is the Eagles’ priority. If they actually pick up the option year on his rookie contract, he gets paid $22.7 million in 2020. If they ink Wentz to a long-term pact, he can expect to earn north of $30 million annually.
Basically, Wentz will get what the Rams give Goff, who was selected first overall in the 2016 draft, one pick ahead of Wentz.
You can’t tell me the Eagles can be so accommodating to the free agents they brought in, including high-priced defensive tackle Malik Jackson, that they can sign reliable veteran Brandon Graham to a long-term contract, bring back Peters and injured cornerback Ronald Darby and still have the wiggle room to extend Wentz, just not enough money to take care of Jenkins, who’s due a modest $8.1 million this year and $7.6 million the following year.
Last year Jenkins did a silent interview at his locker, holding up posters explaining his feelings about social injustices he felt weren’t being dealt with adequately. Our favorite came up every few seconds someone still tried to ask him a question: “YOU’RE NOT LISTENING.”
Break out that poster and bring it into the locker room.
This time it’s the Eagles who aren’t listening.