Jenkins turned 34 in December and had been mulling retirement since the end of the season. A three-time Pro Bowler, Jenkins had his ironman streak of 133 straight starts ended last season. He will retire with the team that drafted him in the first round of the 2009 draft. He spent five years with the Saints before six with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl with both teams. Jenkins retires with 21 career interceptions, 20 forced fumbles, and eight defensive touchdowns.

Jenkins said after the season that he had to think about his future, not committing to coming back in 2022. Heading into his age-35 season, Jenkins again started 16 games for the Saints (missing one to the COVID-19 list), but recorded just five passes defensed, his lowest since his rookie season in 2009. Jenkins remains a useful player even at his age, so if he opts not to come back it would be a bit of a blow to a Saints secondary that already lost Marcus Williams in free agency. 

It turned out the quarterbacks weren't the only Saints being added to the COVID-19 list today. Only Jenkins is a primary player for New Orleans this year, but where there's this much COVID-19, it's likely that we'll see more additions in the days to come. The Saints only held an estimated practice today in advance of their Monday night game against the Dolphins. 

The Saints also redid OL Andrus Peat's contract to save $6 million this year. These are the latest moves in the team's ancient practice of trying frantically to get under the salary cap. Even after these restructures, the Saints are around $55 million over the cap. Jenkins, formerly of the Eagles, signed a four-year, $32 million contract with New Orleans last spring. Jenkins, 34, is signed through the 2023 season.