Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

There is reportedly a belief within the NFL that cornerback Janoris Jenkins will sign with a playoff contender after getting waived by the New York Giants this week.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, league sources view the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans as two potential landing spots.

Schefter noted that since Jenkins was waived by the Giants with an injury designation due to an ankle ailment he is nursing, he will revert to New York's injured reserve list if he clears waivers Monday. The Giants would then likely waive him again, meaning he would go back on waivers Tuesday.

The 8-5 Texans currently have a better waiver priority than the 9-4 Chiefs, but that could change Sunday depending on the results of the Texans vs. the Tennessee Titans and the Chiefs vs. the Denver Broncos.

New York waived Jenkins after he called a fan an offensive name during an exchange on Twitter:

Giants head coach Pat Shurmur acknowledged in a statement that Jenkins' tweet played a role in the decision to release him: "This was an organizational decision. From ownership to management to our football operations, we felt it was in the best interests of the franchise and the player. Obviously, what happened this week, and the refusal to acknowledge the inappropriate and offensive language, was the determining factor."

When Jenkins was asked by ESPN's Jordan Raanan about the language he used in the tweet, Jenkins chalked it up to his roots in Pahokee, Florida:

"Where I'm from, we use all kind of words for slang. If it offends anybody, I'm sorry. It's a culture that I grew up in where I'm from, you know what I'm saying. We use all kinds of words for all kinds of slang. If you don't know, it's a 'hood thing. Whatever. I'm not calling nobody no name or pick at nobody. It's just something we use in the hood back at home."

Jenkins added:

"I never said it was right. I said that was a slang I use back at home. I never said it was right. It's just something I use at home.

"I regret it. But at the end of the day, it's my slang. So if you take it how you're going to take it, it's on you. I don't mean to offend nobody. My dad always told me, 'Speak freely and own up to what you say.' So I always speak freely as a man, and I speak how I want to speak."

After news of his release broke, Jenkins was seemingly happy to move on from the Giants:

If Schefter's report is accurate, the 31-year-old Jenkins is set to go from a 2-11 Giants team to a team vying for a playoff spot.

Statistically speaking, Jenkins is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. In 13 games, he has recorded 54 tackles, 14 passes defended and a career-high four interceptions. He is arguably playing better than he did in 2016 when he was named a Pro Bowler for the first and only time after registering 49 tackles, 18 pass breakups and three picks.

Jenkins has split his eight-year NFL career between the St. Louis Rams and Giants, and he has appeared in just one playoff game during that time, so playing for a contender would be relatively foreign territory for him.

Of the two teams rumored to be in on Jenkins, the Chiefs are 12th in the NFL against the pass and the Texans are 27th. Other contending teams that struggle against the pass include the Seattle Seahawks (29th) and Titans (25th).