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 start of the season. He uncharacteristically skipped voluntary workouts in the spring, but was in attendance for mandatory activities and put all public contract-related talks aside as the 2019 season approached.
He played 100 percent of the defensive snaps for the fifth time in six seasons in Philadelphia, and finished 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 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,” said Jenkins. “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 anymore. 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 – first with the New Orleans Saints in 2009, and then 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.”