EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Make no mistake, the Los Angeles Rams badly wanted to keep cornerback Janoris Jenkins.
They tried for more than a year to strike a long-term deal with their soon-to-be former No. 1 cornerback, but it was all for naught. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Jenkins is headed to the New York Giants on a deal that will pay him more than $12 million per season. The move can't be made official until 4 p.m. ET, when the new league year begins.
Assuming there are no hiccups before that, Jenkins is on his way to play for former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo, the Giants' defensive coordinator. Really, Jenkins' departure should not surprise. He was always going to go to the highest bidder, and once the Rams put the franchise tag on fellow cornerback Trumaine Johnson, the team's willingness to pay such a heavy freight for Jenkins dwindled.
Back in October, Jenkins said he was looking for a team that would give him a deal that would show the "respect" he believed he deserved. League sources told me he would seek a contract that would start at the $10.5 million annual average that the Philadelphia Eagles gave Byron Maxwell last year. The Rams were more comfortable with something in the area of $8 million per year.
In heading to New York, Jenkins takes his knack for big plays -- his six return touchdowns are the most of any defensive player in the NFL in the past four years -- with him. He also takes his penchant for allowing big plays -- Pro Football Focus has him down for 22 touchdowns allowed in that same time span, third most in the NFL.
Jenkins had his best NFL season in 2015, cutting down on some of the mistakes that previously plagued him, and the Rams understandably wanted to bring him back because of it. But if there was one player among their key defensive free agents whom they were equipped to handle losing, it was Jenkins -- not necessarily Jenkins personally, but more so one of their top corners.
Once they tagged Johnson instead, it made Jenkins the most likely candidate to depart. That's not to say the Rams will be able to keep others like ends William Hayes and Eugene Sims and linebacker/safety Mark Barron, but they are right to put the priority on trying to keep those players rather than paying big money for a second corner.
That's because the Rams have some depth in place that makes losing Jenkins more tolerable. Johnson will return as the No. 1 corner, a job he hasn't done much in his four NFL seasons but showed he could handle in a late-season win against the Detroit Lions and receiver Calvin Johnson. Opposite Trumaine Johnson, the Rams are expecting to get E.J. Gaines back in the fold after a season-ending foot injury. Remember, Gaines was actually the favorite to win the starting job instead of Johnson before last season. Assuming he returns to health, which is the expectation, Gaines is capable of stepping in and playing well.
Lamarcus Joyner took a big step forward as the nickel corner and Marcus Roberson is a still-developing talent who can handle the fourth cornerback job. And, of course, the Rams could still turn to the draft to add another topflight corner, especially with three picks in the top 45.
In the meantime, they now have more money they were ready to spend on Jenkins that they can allocate elsewhere. That means continued efforts to keep the likes of Barron, Hayes and Sims and potentially even find some upgrades for an offense in desperate need of some.
No, the Rams didn't want to lose Jenkins just like most teams don't want to lose players they've drafted and developed. But at least in this case, they're prepared to replace him.