Predicting the contracts for the 6 biggest LA Chargers free agents
By Jason Reed
Rayshawn Jenkins: Three years, $15 million ($5 million per season)
Rayshawn Jenkins is someone who has stepped up for the LA Chargers over the last two seasons and has earned a fairly decent contract a result. Will the Chargers pay Jenkins with the hope that Derwin James is healthy? Time will only tell, but I think Jenkins is going to get $15 million from a team this offseason.
Jenkins was solid for the Bolts in both 2019 and 2020 and was getting better by the week in 2020. Sure, he had his moments in which he looked really bad (Thursday Night Football against Las Vegas comes to mind) but he also had some really great games as well.
Jenkins has shown growth as a player and it is not secret that Gus Bradley was not the best defensive coordinator in utilizing talent nor advancing talent. In the right system, Jenkins could really be something special.
Regardless, he is absolutely a starting-caliber strong safety and I compare this contract to a contract that was given out last offseason. Vonn Bell received a three-year, $18 million deal from the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bell was one year younger than Jenkins is now when he signed that deal and the two are similar in overall talent level, with Bell having the slight edge. That edge, and age, gets Bell an extra $1 million per season while Jenkins will get $5 million for the next three seasons.