Former Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins announced his retirement on Wednesday. The former Philadelphia Eagles safety spent the last two years with the New Orleans Saints, a reunion tour with the team that selected him in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft.
Jenkins’ departure leaves a massive hole in Dennis Allen’s defense and actually helps the Saints’ once-unenviable cap situation.
Malcolm Jenkins retires from the Saints
During an interview with ESPN’s Ryan Clark, a fellow former Pro Bowl safety, Jenkins said he was stepping away from the game. Jenkins, who won Super Bowls with the Saints and Eagles, was a do-everything leader in the secondary for both franchises.
The Eagles have had a tough time replacing Jenkins’ versatility and playmaking ability since he left town in 2020. And the Saints could deal with a similar fallout in the wake of his retirement.
The Saints will move forward without both of their starting safeties from the last two seasons. Free safety Marcus Williams signed a mammoth contract with the Baltimore Ravens earlier this month. He was promptly replaced by former New York Jets defensive back Marcus Maye, who is coming off a season-ending leg injury.
In theory, former draft pick Chauncey Gardner-Johnson could fill the void left by Jenkins, as he has comparable skills. Gardner-Johnson can line up at safety, cornerback, nickel corner, and even play dime linebacker if necessary. He’s a quick defensive back with notable physicality and toughness. The team also signed veteran Daniel Sorensen as a veteran presence. He’s likely to take that baton from Jenkins.
From a chemistry standpoint, the Saints should be fine if they go with the trio of Gardner-Johnson, Maye, and Sorensen. Gardner-Johnson and Maye were teammates at the University of Florida, and Sorensen is a savvy veteran who has played for a few different defensive coordinators with varying styles.
How Jenkins’ retirement impacts Saints’ salary cap
Jenkins made a preemptive strike with his salary before retirement. The longtime safety dropped his base salary down to the veteran minimum to provide cap relief for the Saints, who were pursuing a trade for Deshaun Watson. With Watson now with the Cleveland Browns, the Saints decided to re-sign QB Jameis Winston. On top of that, they brought in Andy Dalton to back him up.
Prior to those moves, Jenkins, along with three other veterans, restructured their contracts to open up $30 million in cap space for the organization, ESPN’s Field Yates reported earlier this month.
With Dalton’s $6 million salary unaccounted for (one-year deals can have void years that spread out the impact of the salary over multiple seasons), Over The Cap had the Saints’ remaining camp space at $21.68 million.