Malcolm Jenkins has no hard feelings after the Eagles let him go this week, but he does acknowledge he was hoping to stick around longer in Philadelphia.
Jenkins, the safety who signed with the Saints after he was released by the Eagles, wrote in the Players’ Tribune that he was hoping to remain with the Eagles because he thought he had more work to do both on the team and in the community.
“It’s my legacy that I’m concerned with,” Jenkins wrote. “And it’s no secret that I wanted a new deal — no secret that I felt like I deserved one. Not so I could be the highest-paid player at my position (even though I regard myself as being of that caliber), but so I could cement my legacy in Philadelphia forever. I wanted a deal that showed me that my sacrifices to the game have been recognized. I’m no idiot. I know money is tied to timing, market value, age, the draft, and so on. But legacy? That’s tied to the player, and to the name on the back of his jersey. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I wasn’t able to ensure that my name would end up on the back of an Eagles jersey this year.”
Jenkins does not, however, express any bitterness toward the Eagles on his way out the door.
“To Mr. Lurie, Coach Pederson, Jim Schwartz, and the rest of the coaching staff — I’m so grateful for the opportunity you gave me to be the best version of myself in an Eagles uniform,” Jenkins wrote.
Now the 32-year-old Jenkins will attempt to complete his legacy in New Orleans, where his NFL career started.