Star Football Player Malcolm Jenkins Released by Philadelphia Eagles

Malcolm Jenkins, one of the most recognizable sports stars in Philadelphia, has been released by the Eagles.

A leader on and off the field, Malcolm Jenkins’ impact helped shape our franchise.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) March 17, 2020

Jenkins, who helped lead the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship in 2018, will become an unrestricted free agent, the team said in a statement posted to their website.

Jenkins later penned a letter to his fans on his Instagram account.

View this post on Instagram

Dear Philly, I’m usually a man with a lot to say. I take pride in my ability to articulate my thoughts and feelings. But.... today the words are escaping me. There are too many people to thank and too many great memories to single anyone out in particular. I can only say, I’m grateful to Mr. Lurie for the opportunity to represent this city. I thank my teammates for making me better every single day. I thank the warriors in this community that fight for a better Philadelphia. And I thank the fan base for embracing me as your own. I hope that I am leaving having given more than I have received. That has always been my mission and I hope I represented you all well. Also, this is my home so I’m sure you’ll see me around. This is not goodbye, but I’ll see you later 🍻🦅

A post shared by Malcolm Jenkins (@malcolmjenkins27) on Mar 17, 2020 at 5:38pm PDT

During his six years with the Eagles, Jenkins was a three-time Pro Bowler, unquestioned leader on his side of the ball and almost never left the field in an era where the Eagles finally won their first Super Bowl.

Since his arrival in Philadelphia as a free agent in 2014, Jenkins played 6,818 of 6,908 total defensive snaps (98.7%) in the regular season and playoffs. He missed a total of 90 and 60 of those came in the meaningless regular season finale in 2017. And he played on special teams all six years.

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On top of all that, Jenkins played safety, nickel cornerback and linebacker. That versatility allowed the Eagles to get by during some lean defensive years.

Simply put: Jenkins will go down as one of the greatest free agent acquisitions in franchise history. Heck, he’ll go down as an all-time great in franchise history. Jenkins ended up playing for the Eagles longer than he did in New Orleans, where he began his career.

In his six seasons with the Eagles, Jenkins filled up stat sheets: 11 INTs, 4 TDs, 58 PD, 12 FF, 6 FR, 515 tackles, 32 TFLs, 5 1/2 sacks and 15 QB hits.

Aside from all that, Jenkins was a steady leader in the locker room as well as a staunch supporter of social justice and an active philanthropist in the community. He had every quality football teams are looking for in players.

Now, the Eagles have the unenviable task of trying to replace him. They began that process on Tuesday by re-signing Jalen Mills to a one-year contract under the reported premise that he will be some sort of hybrid safety/cornerback.

But there is still plenty of work to be done. We’re talking about replacing an all-time great here.