It was unclear whether the Eagles were willing to cut Jenkins - one of the few "Dream Team" free-agent signings from last summer to live up to expectations and one who became a locker-room leader - but he said he knew at the end of the season that his contract would have to be reworked if he wanted to return.
"I'm actually pretty relieved, because I was worried sitting there playing a waiting game," Jenkins said. "You're hearing all the rumors about people saying, 'They're going to release him and they're not going to pay him.' "
Jenkins still will receive a $5 million roster bonus due March 13 - the official start of the new league year. But his base salary for 2012 was reduced from $2,500,000 to $820,000, according to an NFL source.
He will make significantly less in 2013, however, with a guaranteed base salary of $1.5 million (down from $4 million) and a roster bonus of $1 million (down from $2.5 million). The original five-year deal he signed last July also was trimmed to four years.
Jenkins called the deal more "realistic," however, and said it gave him the opportunity to retire as an Eagle.
"I'm not one of those types of players that bounce around, try to get as much as he can get," Jenkins said. "I wanted some security. I wanted to be somewhere that I liked and that liked me."
Playing on coach Jim Washburn's pass rush-oriented defensive line, Jenkins recorded four sacks in his first three games last season. Though he notched only 11/2 sacks in the final 13, he still had many moments in the Eagles' defensive tackle rotation.
Jenkins often was the voice of reason emanating from the locker room after the team's - especially the defense's - sluggish start.
