Seahawks Grant Veteran Safety Permission to Seek Trade
Seattle Seahawks safety Rayshawn Jenkins listens to instructions prior to a drill during minicamp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Credit: Corbin Smith/Emerald City Spectrum
Facing the possibility of being a cap casualty prior to the start of free agency next month, Seattle Seahawks veteran safety Rayshawn Jenkins will have an opportunity to try and find his next landing spot.
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Seahawks have given Jenkins permission to pursue a trade partner with less than three weeks before free agency kicks off. Regardless of whether he finds an interested suitor willing to trade a late round pick to acquire him or not, trading or releasing him would create more than $5 million in salary cap relief.
Jenkins, 31, signed a two-year contract with the Seahawks last March after being cut by the Jaguars and opened last season as the starting strong safety alongside Julian Love. Starting each of the first six games, he produced 38 tackles and returned a fumble for a team-record 102 yards on a defensive touchdown in a Week 5 loss to the Giants, but he suffered a broken hand in that same game and wound up undergoing surgery during the middle of the season.
Landing on injured reserve and missing five games, Jenkins’ absence opened the door for converted cornerback Coby Bryant to steal his starting job, as the third-year defender thrived in coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme. During the time the veteran was sidelined, his replacement intercepted two passes and returned one of them for a touchdown in a home victory over Arizona while adding a pair of pass breakups, playing sticky coverage and frequently getting his hands on the football while also pitching in as a reliable run defender from both safety spots.
Once Jenkins returned to practice, Macdonald couldn’t rightfully take Bryant out of the starting lineup after he had earned that role with sensational performance, and the veteran became a situational third safety for the remainder of the season, contributing 15 tackles and a pair of sacks while playing 35 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps in the final seven games.
If Jenkins isn’t able to find a new team willing to trade for him in quick order - and in all likelihood, it will difficult to sell a team on trading away anything for an aging safety this time of year when salary cap space is at a premium - the Seahawks will need to make a decision on whether they want to retain him as a high-priced backup or release him before free agency to give him a fair shot at latching on elsewhere. Based on the fact they have granted him the option to look elsewhere, a clean split would seem like the best path forward for both parties.
Assuming Jenkins has played his last game in a Seattle uniform, the team will have Love, Bryant, Jerrick Reed II, Ty Okada, and AJ Finley on the roster at the safety position. Holding nine draft picks in April, his exit could open the door for an early selection to be used at the position, especially with Bryant entering the final year of his rookie contract.
