New York Jets want to lock up Jordan Jenkins before season is over

The New York Jets are looking to make a proactive move with Jordan Jenkins. Here are all the details and what that contract could look like.

The New York Jets have a ton of tough decisions to make in 2019 and beyond. Re-signing outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins isn’t one of them.

In his four years with the Jets, he has far outplayed his ‘third round’ draft standing.

After another remarkable performance on Sunday vs the New York Giants (two sacks) he now has 17.5 for his career. This season he’s already up to five with seven games left to play, which would be a career year for the former Georgia Bulldog.

On the Flight Deck podcast with ESPN’s Rich Cimini, he revealed that the team is looking to lock him up before the 2019 season concludes.

This is something the Jets did with wide receiver Quincy Enunwa in late December of 2018.

Jenkins is currently in the final year of his rookie contract he signed back in 2016. This year he’s making just a shade over $2 million.

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What would the Jets have to pay to retain his services?

Jordan Jenkins may not be a double-digit sack artist, but he’s a really good football player.

Cimini suggested the player to look at is former Washington Redskins outside linebacker Preston Smith as a comparable player/contract.

In his four years with the Redskins he recorded 24.5 sacks, so slightly better production than Jenkins has accrued in a similar time frame.

This offseason he signed a four-year $52 million contract with a $16 million signing bonus, and makes on average $13 million per season.

Jenkins isn’t expected to necessarily command that salary if the Jets can sign him before the season is over, which is their intention. But if he reaches unrestricted free agency in March, Rich Cimini believes he could receive a deal that annually pays him between $11 and $13 million per season.

That would put Jordan in the top-10 at his position in terms of average yearly pay, per Spotrac.

Jordan Jenkins is a really solid football player who is good against the run and provides a nice pass rush as well. With the Jets draft history, this was a home run selection.

The New York Jets should look to keep him in green for the foreseeable future. It sends a good message to the rest of the locker room that if guys perform they’ll be rewarded. Also to develop homegrown talent and watch them get second and third contracts is a good sign of a successful organization.

On the Jets 53 man roster, only four players have received second contracts from the team (and only three of those players were drafted by New York):

• Darryl Roberts, cornerback
• Bilal Powell, running back
• Quincy Enunwa, wide receiver
• Brian Winters, guard