Rayshawn Jenkins was signed by the Seattle Seahawks last offseason as the team was mostly rebuilding its safety group. Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams had been released, and only Pro Bowler Julian Love remained of those safeties who played much. Jenkins seemed like a safe, if not spectacular, signing as he was a veteran with loads of starting experience.
The issue was that Jenkins was not very good at the beginning of the season. He was fine in Weeks 2 and 3 against two struggling offenses, the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins (with a backup quarterback starting), but other than that, Jenkins was a poor tackler and digressed in terms of quality in pass coverage.
In Weeks 4 through 6, Jenkins allowed all 11 of his pass targets to be completed and whiffed on four of his 17 tackle attempts. He also appeared to be a bad fit in head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, as the safety was not very good against the run, either.
Seattle Seahawks have two easy choices in terms of what to do with Rayshawn Jenkins
Jenkins injured his hand in Week 6, and by the time he returned in Week 12, he had lost his job permanently to Coby Bryant. Bryant was able to help better against the run, but he also created turnovers that Jenkins could not seem to. Heading into the 2025 season, one can safely assume that Bryant will be the starter and Jenkins, if he is still on the roster, will be a backup.
The chances of Jenkins returning next season are slim, though. ESPN's Brady Henderson reported that the Seahawks have given Jenkins the OK to seek a trade. He likely has about a week to find Seattle a trade partner.
Seattle has two easy options with Jenkins. Either one is a win of sorts. If Jenkins finds a team willing to trade for him, no matter what the return is (even a seventh-round choice), Seattle will be getting something back with the loss of the safety. He isn't going to start, he is 31 years old, and his contract is bloated.
The other option Seattle has, and one that will likely happen before free agency hits, is for the Seahawks to simply release Jenkins. By either releasing or trading Jenkins, the team saves $5,280,000. The safety would only account for $2.5 million in dead space.
Seattle is currently over the salary cap for this offseason, and some expensive contracts are going to have to be restructured or the player released. Jenkins, if he cannot find a trade partner, should be one of these.
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