Eagles to retain Cullen Jenkins
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Eagles to retain Cullen Jenkins
Jonathan Tamari and Jeff McLane
The Eagles have restructured Cullen Jenkins' contract and will keep the veteran defensive tackle for next season and possibly beyond.
Jenkins was scheduled to earn $7.5 million for next season, including a $5 million bonus due on March 13. He will still collect the bonus but will be have his 2012 salary reduced from $2.5 million to $820,000, according to Andrew Brandt of ESPN.com. Next season he will receive a $1.5 million guaranteed salary along with a $1 million roster bonus next March.
The remaining length of Jenkins' deal was also trimmed from four years to three, an NFL source said. Nevertheless, the 31-year-old said that the restructuring was something he welcomed because his high salary could have led to the Eagles releasing him.
"I'm actually pretty relieved because I was worried sitting there playing a waiting game again and you just wait to see whats going to go on, whats going to happen," Jenkins said during a conference all organized by the Eagles. "You hearing all the rumors about people saying, 'They’re going to release him and they’re not going to pay him.'”
Jenkins had 5.5 sacks in his first year as an Eagle and emerged as a locker-room leader.
"We are very excited about having Cullen back on our football team,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said in a news release. "Cullen made an immediate impact for us this year on and off the field. We look forward to a great future together with him in an Eagles uniform."
Jenkins said that he knew by the end of the season that his deal would have to be restructured if he was to return to the Eagles.
Before he left for Orlando on Friday with his family for his eldest daughter's gymnastics competition, Jenkins said, his agents contacted him to let him know that they would be negotiating with the Eagles on a new deal. By the time he returned on Monday, he received a text message from Eagles coach Andy Reid welcoming him back even though he never really left.
"I'm not one of those type of players that bounce around, try to get as much as he can get," Jenkins said. "I wanted some security. I wanted to be somewhere that I liked and that liked me."
Jenkins said that the restructuring would make it more likely for him to remain here after this coming season.
"I wanted to be able to retire an Eagle," Jenkins said.
The new deal will give the Eagles a little more than $1.5 million in salary cap space. Jenkins was asked if he thought his new deal would allow the Eagles to sign some of their own free agents, namely wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
“Definitely," Jenkins said. "If by me doing this can help the team in any way it’s something you have to feel good about. Obviously, you have to wait and see what direction the team wants to go."
The Eagles still have some uncertainty at defensive tackle. Antonio Dixon, a restricted free agent, suffered a season-ending torn triceps last October, but is expected to make a full recovery. Mike Patterson underwent brain surgery to correct an AVM, but Reid said he should be healthy by the start of training camp.
Derek Landri and Trevor Laws are both slated to become unrestricted free agents. The Eagles could try to retain both, although there could be a bidding war for Landri. They did try to work out an extension with Laws during last season, league sources said, but ultimately decided to put off in-season contract talks with any of their free agents.
There will be other free agent defensive tackles on the market, of course. Or the Eagles could elect to select one high in a draft that is said to be deep at that position.
Strange that after only one year the had to restructure his deal. He did just fine last year and had a decent number of sacks for a DT playing in the wide nine. If I were him, I would have made the Eagles pay me the full roster bonus or risk losing me to some other team. The Birds got away with one here...— LennyFromPhilly- Cole/Jenkins/Patterson/Babin is a good front four. I Wish Graham and McDougle would start to contribute— dragoon6
- Big whoop! This was a no-brainer. Now, what about our weapon, Desean?? Until I hear WORTHWHILE news from the Eagles camp, I'll be tuned into the Phillies and Sixers!— Panthro2011
Great move this guy is a play-maker... Jenkins said in his tele-conference that he may end his career as an Eagle. Hope he continues to be a force in the middle.- I love how all of you NFL Wizards know all of the details of the contract negotiations. How do you know he took a pay cut? You all know as much as I do about the deal and that would be NOTHING! Why not just be happy that a pretty damn good player will be here next year and probably at least one more year and wait to hear the details?— gdibig
- To follow up on my comment, he likely restructured his contract so they could give him a signing bonus instead of a roster bonus and prorate the cap hit out for several years. So instead of a pay cut, he'll likely get the same money, it'll just be called a different name!
So, as you see, it's not all cut and dried in the NFL as some of you Madden Kings like to think you are!— gdibig - I wonder how bad "nickels" beat him up? How often did Joe tell him that he ONLY had 5.5 sacks. That's about 4.5 more than Brandon Graham had before he got hurt. This is just more of the same, they got somebody at the "bargain price", an ok player and nothing more.— jimloughery
- nuggett: yeah, we should get rid of trent cole. how are you able to post on here when elementary school is still in session? oh right, damn smartphones.— Leegles
- Okay morons, do you think Peyton expected to get a $28,000,000 bonus payment? Will you say the Colts are cheap when they don't give it to him. The obvious answers are No and No. Redoing contracts is a way to push cap figures back and keep them reasonable. Please stay off the boards if you don't know what you are talking about.— ceocreates
- Important piece, 11-5— Willysoup
- these morons just want something to complain about because thats what miserable people do. complain about anything negative. restructured contract does not mean paycut dumbazzs! smh— bigjay215
- Dream Team 2 is on the move!— JBinPA
- ahhh so the Eagles CAN restructure a deal before the end of the contract...when..and only when..it is downward in cost.— Larry Byrd
Great move!!! Glad to see Jenkins is someone who sees the big picture, and is willing to play here for other reasons than big money. He could have tested free agency and received another big money up front deal. Instead he choose to take less money to play somewhere he enjoyed playing. Totally refreshing!!- leegales....stop being a lapdog for howie and andy and realize, impact players need character and talent, and the drafting of this club shows they don't understand that......duh, check out your linebackers, safeties, guards, and a DT who watches the ball and still goes offsides....— nuggett
