The New Orleans Saints are reportedly renegotiating the expensive contract of former New York Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
Back in 2016, the New York Giants bolstered their cornerback unit ahead of what was their first playoff campaign since 2011. They ultimately inked a five-year, $62.5 million deal with Janoris Jenkins. The veteran ended up earning his first Pro Bowl nod along with a spot on the AP All-Pro second team in his inaugural year with New York.
But 2019 is when Jenkins and the Giants parted ways after numerous controversies, including his use of a derogatory term in a tweet that became the final straw. The Saints have since acquired him, and in an attempt to clear up some cap space, they’re reportedly renegotiating his current contract.
ESPN’s Field Yates tweeted out the news on Monday.
The Saints and CB Janoris Jenkins have agreed to a renegotiated contract. A sensible move for the Saints to create cap space, as Jenkins was scheduled to count $11.25M against the cap, with a base salary of $10.25M. GM Mickey Loomis is always finding ways to create cap space.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 24, 2020
Jenkins is under contract through the 2020 season and is slated to become an unrestricted free agent thereafter. The deal planned for him to make a base salary of $10.15 million, a value included within an $11.25 million cap hit.
It’s unclear what the new terms of the contract will be.
In two games with the Saints last year, Jenkins recorded seven combined tackles with one pick and two passes defended. Through 13 games with Big Blue, he racked up 54 total tackles with four picks and 14 passes defended. He led the team in the two latter-most statistics.
He recorded two interceptions in a Week 4 win over the Washington Redskins, which led to him earning the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Jenkins is currently slated to be one of New Orleans’ starting corners in 2020. The team is coming off another playoff run in which they came up short of a Super Bowl appearance.
