New Orleans Saints preparing to lose Bell? Sign Jenkins.
In what looks like an effort to soften the blow after Vonn Bell signs with another team this offseason, the New Orleans Saints welcome back Malcolm Jenkins.
With the 14th pick of the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints select . . . safety from Ohio State University – Malcolm Jenkins. What a time it was for the Saints to get Jenkins in 2009.
Malcolm Jenkins stayed with New Orleans throughout the extent of his rookie contract and left for Philadelphia in 2014 where he has been ever since. With the Eagles, Jenkins has seen three Pro Bowl selections and a Super Bowl victory.
The reunion between the New Orleans Saints and Malcolm Jenkins is going to be oh so sweet. What a way to bookend his career than back with the team and the city where it all started and took off from.
However, the biggest question surrounding the signing of the Eagles Pro Bowl safety is if the Saints are preparing to lose start safety Vonn Bell in the next coming days. Is this a foreshadowing that the front office knows something we don’t?
Another Ohio State safety Vonn Bell was also drafted by the New Orleans Saints and is at the end of his rookie contract. After having his best year in the league in 2019, Bell is looking to cash in big on his next long-term contract.
On the opposite, Jenkins is looking more toward a veteran minimum after already spending eleven years in the league. Salary cap-wise, the Saints are in prime position to sign Jenkins and let Bell get his money elsewhere.
However, can Jenkins keep up with the production Bell was giving the secondary? The New Orleans Saints also have star safety Marcus Williams that they are going to have to pay next year, so Jenkins could be the perfect middle guy until they can find his replacement.
Regardless of what this could or could not mean, the New Orleans Saints are going to be ecstatic to have Malcolm Jenkins back on the roster. Hopefully, he ends his career in New Orleans on the same positive note he started it with.