Two-time Super Bowl winner Malcolm Jenkins reveals how Tom Brady inspired his book's title
Malcolm Jenkins has been retired from the NFL for two seasons now, but he is not done appearing in the public eye.
The former safety, who won two Super Bowls with the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles, recently appeared on Fox Sports 1's The Herd with Colin Cowherd. He was to promote his memoir What Winners Won’t Tell You: Lessons from a Legendary Defender.
The book notably contains a foreword from Tom Brady, whose New England Patriots were the team the Eagles defeated in Super Bowl LII. (Jenkins also holds a victory over Peyton Manning at Super Bowl XLIV, making him the only player to defeat both legendary quarterbacks at the event.) He said about the process of making that part:
"Tom is - came up with a title. I'm thinking, 'Alright, well, who's my favorite opponent?' You know, when I talk about being a defender, and Tom was that person I didn't realize how much he motivated me as a player until he retired... I played Tom so many times. So reaching out to him and he blessed me with the foreword.
"And it was special because you know, as a competitor I learned a lot from him. Joint practices, just watching how he prepares some of the things he did stuck with me my whole career. Just watching him as a young guy, so definitely super grateful for him blessing me with the foreword."
Who is Malcolm Jenkins? Exploring the career of the only man to defeat both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl
Drafted 14th out of Ohio State in 2009 by the New Orleans Saints, Malcolm Jenkins initially played cornerback. As a rookie, he sat third in the positional depth chart behind Tracy Porter and Jabari Greer.
The Saints went a conference-best 13-3 and became the first team to defeat three Lombardi-winning quarterbacks (Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning) on their way to clinching Super Bowl XLIV against the Indianapolis Colts. Jenkins had five solo tackles and a pass deflection in the game.
Jenkins was moved to safety in his sophomore season, where he finally got to start and broke out as an All-Pro. He would remain with New Orleans until 2013.
In 2014, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent and earned his first Pro Bowl appearance the following year. He would earn two more nods, including in his Super Bowl-winning 2017-18 campaign, with four solo tackles and a pass deflection in the big game.
Jenkins returned to the Saints in 2020, playing two seasons before retiring after 2021.