5 worst contracts on the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022

No. 2 worst contract on the Jaguars in 2022 – Rayshawn Jenkins, S.

Safety Rayshawn Jenkin’s first year with the Jaguars surely didn’t the way they both expected after striking a four-year $35 million deal last offseason. A fourth-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2017 draft, safety Rayshawn Jenkins was mainly relegated to special teams over his first two NFL seasons before he eventually joined the Bolts’ starting lineup in 2019.

In the last two years of his stint in Los Angeles, Jenkins made 31 starts and logged 138 tackles, eight passes defensed, and five interceptions. Looking at that kind of production, it’s easy to see why the Jaguars wanted him to join them.

However, Jenkins wasn’t nearly as productive in his first season in Jacksonville, making 14 starts and registering 78 total tackles but no big plays. Moreover, he was ejected in Week 12 for punching San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings, which is even worse when you take into account that he was named team captain before the start of the 2021 campaign and is supposed to lead by example.

Maybe Jenkins was affected by the Urban Meyer debacle and he will have a chance to prove that last season was an outlier. After all, his contract is structured in a way that makes it impractical for the Jaguars to cut ties with him this offseason. Releasing him wouldn’t free up any cap space and would instead create a $3 million deficit and $13 million in dead cap. Moving on from the veteran safety becomes a bit easier next year, which technically grants him one season to get back on track.