When the New Orleans Saints used their first-round draft pick last week to select free safety Kenny Vaccaro, Malcolm Jenkins knew he had been put on notice.
How could he not? Jenkins was the Saints' starting free safety last season. Vaccaro's arrival was a clear sign that Jenkins was heading to a backup role ... or worse.
But Jenkins didn't want to create tension, so he decided to tweet Vaccaro a welcome message. It was opposite from the way Reggie Bush handled the same situation after the Saints drafted running back Mark Ingram in 2011. Bush infamously tweeted, "It's been fun New Orleans."
Sure enough, Bush was gone three months later.
"It makes it an awkward situation in the locker room," Jenkins said Saturday, according to The Advocate.
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"If you kind of look back at history, you see when we drafted Mark Ingram, how Reggie handled it ... it was kind of the opposite."
We're amused by Jenkins' decision to publicly drag Bush into the conversation here, but this really was a move about self-preservation. Jenkins was a struggling starter on one of the worst defenses of all time. Entering the final year of his contract, Jenkins can make a) a good impression or b) plans for an exit.
He wisely chose the former.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @DanHanzus.