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John Jenkins

Seahawks To Sign John Jenkins

November 11th, 2016 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

Defensive tackle John Jenkins will be signing with the Seahawks, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jenkins was let go by the Saints earlier this week. John Jenkins (vertical)

Because Jenkins was released after the trade deadline, he was subject to waivers. However, no team moved to take on the contract of the defensive tackle, particularly because of his $1MM proven performance escalator for 2016. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but the Seahawks have likely scored Jenkins on a deal at or near the league minimum for a player of his experience level.

Jenkins was only on the field for about one-third of the Saints’ defensive snaps this season. Not long ago, Jenkins was a starting player on New Orleans D-Line. In his reduced role, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus have the former third-round pick rated rather poorly with a 42.7 overall grade.

Jenkins will now battle for playing time behind reserves Tony McDaniel and Sealver Siliga, giving them five DTs for the first time since fifth-round pick Quinton Jefferson was placed on IR in late October. Seattle starts Ahtyba Rubin and rookie Jarran Reed on the interior defensive line.

Saints Release DT John Jenkins

November 8th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are releasing defensive tackle John Jenkins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that we’re past the trade deadline, Jenkins will be subject to waivers before becoming a free agent."<strong

At one point in time, Jenkins was a starter for New Orleans. This year, he was bumped to a reserve role and he apparently was not playing up to coaches’ expectations through the first half of this season. In seven games (one start), Jenkins has ten total tackles and zero sacks. Pro Football Focus has Jenkins rated in the bottom 20% of all qualified interior defenders this year.

Jenkins was only on the field for 33% of the Saints’ defensive snaps this season and was inactive for last week’s game against the 49ers. Now, the team will draw from a DT group of Nick Fairley, rookie Sheldon Rankins, David Onyemata, and Tyeler Davison.

Jenkins saw his salary boosted by about $1MM this year thanks to the proven performance escalator in his rookie deal. Initially due to reach the open this spring, the Saints are giving him a five month head start.

2016 Proven Performance Escalators

February 12th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure is projected to be $1.696MM in 2016. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2016 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:Keenan Allen (Vertical)

49ers: Gerald Hodges, LB

Bears: Marquess Wilson, WR

Buccaneers: William Gholston, DE; Mike Glennon, QB; Akeem Spence, DT

Cardinals: Andre Ellington, RB; Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S; Alex Okafor, LB

Chargers: Keenan Allen, WR

Colts: Sio Moore, LB; Hugh Thornton, G

Cowboys: J.J. Wilcox, S; Terrance Williams, WR

Dolphins: Jelani Jenkins, LB; Dallas Thomas, T; Dion Sims, TE; Kenny Stills, WR

Eagles: Bennie Logan, DT

Falcons: Kemal Ishmael, S; Levine Toilolo, TE

Jaguars: Josh Evans, S; Dwayne Gratz, CB

Jets: Brian Winters, G

Lions: Larry Warford, G

Packers: David Bakhtiari, T; Micah Hyde, S

Patriots: Duron Harmon, S; Chris Jones, DT; Logan Ryan, CB

Raiders: Mychal Rivera, TE

Rams: T.J. McDonald, S

Ravens: Ricky Wagner, T; Brandon Williams, DT

Saints: Terron Armstead, T; John Jenkins, DT

Seahawks: Luke Willson, TE

Steelers: Markus Wheaton, WR

Titans: Brian Schwenke, C

Washington: Jordan Reed, TE

NFC South Notes: Saints, Norman, Shula

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead and defensive tackle John Jenkins will see their salaries increase by nearly $1MM apiece for 2016, based on the proven performance escalator clause in their rookie contracts, writes Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Both players had been slated to earn a base salary of about $700K, but will now make $1.696MM each.

Let’s round up a few more of today’s items from out of the NFC South:

  • The Panthers may end up using the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman this winter, which could postpone a lucrative, long-term extension for at least a few months. However, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) outlines, it’s just a matter of time until Norman lands that big, multiyear deal.
  • In a separate video for Bleacher Report, Cole wonders if Mike Shula‘s lack of an agent could hinder his chances of landing a head coaching job. The Panthers offensive coordinator didn’t draw much interest last month from the seven teams conducting head coaching searches, despite Carolina’s success this season.
  • Drew Brees turned 37 years old last month, and is entering the final year of his contract, but the Saints don’t need to find his replacement quite yet, says Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • Improving team speed, particularly at linebacker, will be a main focus for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn this winter, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Within his piece, McClure takes a look at some fast, athletic linebacker prospects who may catch Atlanta’s eye as the draft approaches.

Minor Moves: Saturday

December 27th, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves right here, with the most recent transactions added to the top of the list…

Earlier updates:

  • The Jets have placed safety Rontez Miles on the injured reserve, tweets Aaron Wilson. The team will promote wideout Quincy Enunwa to take his place.
  • Connor Shaw will start at quarterback for the Browns this weekend, and the team promoted him to the active roster this morning, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. The team also promoted rookie offensive lineman Jamie Meder. To make room on the roster, the Browns waived linebacker Eric Martin and tight end Ryan Taylor.
  • The Lions have promoted center Darren Keyton to the active roster, reports Tim Twentyman (via Twitter). The lineman will replace Dominic Raiola, who was suspended for this weekend’s game.
  • As expected, the Chargers finally placed punter Mike Scifres on the injured reserve, according to U-T San Diego’s Michael Gehlken (via Twitter). Center Jeff Baca was promoted from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.

NFC South Links: Smith, Glennon, Hankins

September 27th, 2014 at 10:25pm CST by Rob DiRe

One of the biggest free agent moves of the offseason was the release of Steve Smith by the Panthers, leading to Smith’s signing with the Ravens. In David Newton’s mailbag for ESPN, he discusses whether the team’s general manager David Gettleman regretted letting Smith go. While Newton notes that Gettleman rarely speaks to the media, it would be hard to imagine him being excited to face a Smith hungry for revenge this weekend.

Here are some more links from around the NFC South:

  • The Charlotte Observer put a page together where Panthers‘ fans could share their favorite Smith memories in anticipation of his first game against his former team.
  • Quarterback play alone cannot propel a Buccaneers‘ team that has been abysmal in all facets of the game through three weeks, but Mike Glennon will have a chance to stake his claim to the starting job, writes Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida.
  • Gary Shelton of the Tampa Bay Times imagines where the Buccaneers‘ franchise would be had they ever made the right choice in selecting a quarterback, citing Tom Brady and Joe Montana as players they had a chance to take. He also notes that the team had Doug Williams and Steve Young, who went on to win Super Bowls with the Redskins and 49ers, respectively.
  • Buccaneers‘ head coach Lovie Smith was expected to straighten out a franchise that ws run amok in recent years, but his plans have been torn apart, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The plan stared to go awry with the implosion of free agent quarterback Josh McCown, who was eventually benched due to injury, although he showed little in his action to that point. The broken hand suffered by star defensive tackle Gerald McCoy only further weakened the 0-3 Buccaneers.
  • Saints‘ defensive tackle John Jenkins did not travel with the team to Dallas for their matchup with the Cowboys, reports Brett Martel of the Associated Press (via Twitter). He notes that his absence is not injury related, and that Jenkins was also a healthy scratch last week against the Vikings.