John Jenkins surprised by contract extension after playing on 11 one-year deals

Ravens defensive tackle John Jenkins is 36 years old and has been in the NFL since 2013. and on Friday he experienced something new: His team signed him to a contract extension.

It's been a long, strange trip for Jenkins to get a contract extension.

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Originally a 2013 third-round pick of the Saints, Jenkins was released while still on his rookie contract with the Saints in 2016. Jenkins signed a contract for the remainder of the 2016 season with the Seahawks.

In 2017 Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Bears. After that contract expired, he signed another one-year contract with the Bears in the 2018 offseason, but they cut him before the season started. After that he signed a one-year contract with the Giants for the 2018 regular season.

In May of 2019, Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Giants, but they cut him before the regular season started. After that he signed a one-year contract to play for the Dolphins in 2019.

In April of 2020, Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Bears.

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In April of 2021, Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins. More than a year later, in April of 2022, he signed another one-year contract with the Dolphins.

In the 2023 offseason, Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Raiders. In the 2024 offseason, he signed another one-year contract with the Raiders.

In May of 2025, Jenkins signed a one-year contract with the Ravens. And now, in January of 2026, Jenkins has finally received something he never received before: A contract extension, with the Ravens signing him to a new deal that will pay him $2 million for the 2026 season.

"I’ve been on, I want to say 11 one-deals," Jenkins said, via ESPN. "So yeah, I was surprised."

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Although Jenkins will be 37 next season, there are players his age and older still playing on the defensive line in the NFL: Arizona's Calais Campbell is 39, Philadelphia's Brandon Graham is 37 and Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward will turn 37 a couple months before Jenkins does. Jenkins thinks he still has something left, and the Ravens think so, too.