Malcolm Jenkins’ absence from workouts is causing quite a stir
2019 Voluntary workouts are underway for the Philadelphia Eagles and one of their acting captains, Malcolm Jenkins hasn’t shown up. Could a holdout ensue?
This part of the NFL offseason is easily one of the most frustrating and confusing times for the players and the media. For veterans, these workouts before mandatory mini-camp are considered to be voluntary. Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia Eagles were asked to report to the Nova Care Complex for the voluntary portion of the offseason, but again, it is not a requirement.
Typically though, when players don’t show up, many tend to speculate why that is. Many in Philly did this a couple of years back when defensive tackle Fletcher Cox decided to skip OTAs, which once again, isn’t a mandatory event. If a Pro Bowl caliber player, who puts it all out on the field and doesn’t miss a practice or anything during the regular season or even the mandatory events such as workouts or meetings, then why make it a big deal? It didn’t make sense then, and it surely still doesn’t make much sense now.
Yet, here we go again. The Eagles are back in town without the usual suspects such as Fletcher Cox and the veteran offensive tackle Jason Peters. But another guy who typically is in attendance is apparently holding private workouts elsewhere, instead of being with his team in Philadelphia. Naturally, there are many looking at the signs and coming up with hypothetical situations that speculate a potential hold out for Eagles’ veteran safety, Malcolm Jenkins.
Is that really the case?
The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane explained this week that Jenkins ‘uncharacteristically’ skipped the voluntary portion of the offseason this year, which automatically makes many believe he is going to be asking the Philadelphia front office for more money soon. As Jenkins is currently 31-years-old, he isn’t getting any younger. Realistically, his time could be up sooner than later. However, since he was signed in Philadelphia back in 2014, Jenkins hasn’t missed a single game.
To say that Jenkins is the heart and soul of the Eagles’ defense right now would be an understatement. He can play anywhere in the defensive backfield and doesn’t take any plays off. If the veteran safety does in fact, believe he deserves more money, the Eagles shouldn’t hesitate to make it happen. Right now, Jenkins is the 10th-highest paid safety in the league. Although he’s been snubbed from Pro Bowl appearances over the last couple of years now, it’s clear that Jenkins is still playing at a high level for the Birds.
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At first look, it seems as though Jenkins is too old to be getting any sort of pay upgrade, but at the same time, the Eagles just gave a 30-year-old Brandon Graham a three-year extension worth $40 million in total. If Jenkins is truly going to be asking for a potential raise, that should quickly become a priority for the Eagles.
After all, they didn’t even patch up the safety position through free agency or the draft. Not to mention, Rodney McLeod is approaching his final year as well. Jenkins is too important to allow him to walk. If he’s truly getting ready for a holdout, then the Eagles will most likely make it work out. Either that or this is all overblown. We’ll see soon enough.