Packers may face tough contract question with Pro Bowl offensive starter, but there are good reasons to wait on that decision
Three years ago, the Green Bay Packers gave a four-year, $68 million extension with Elgton Jenkins. The deal considered multiple scenarios, including escalators for Jenkins if he played a certain percentage of snaps at left tackle.He established himself as a left guard, and now will move to center. But he's entering a dangerous phase of […]
Three years ago, the Green Bay Packers gave a four-year, $68 million extension with Elgton Jenkins. The deal considered multiple scenarios, including escalators for Jenkins if he played a certain percentage of snaps at left tackle.
He established himself as a left guard, and now will move to center. But he's entering a dangerous phase of the deal from a player's perspective. The offensive lineman will be 30 by December, and there are no guarantees left in the final year of the contract, in 2026.
Therefore, with two years left to play, Jenkins could want an adjustment, according to Jason Wilde from Channel 3000.
"Left guard-turned-center Elgton Jenkins has not been taking part in the offseason program, and although (offensive coordinator Adam) Stenavich said Jenkins' absence is not related to his shift to center for the 2025 season — 'The conversations that we've had with him. . . he was open to it, excited about it,' Stenavich said — one league source said Jenkins, while being OK with the move to center, is looking to have his contract reworked in the wake of his position change. 'He's not here for other reasons than that,' Stenavich said of the move." — Jason Wilde.
Elgton Jenkins is slated to make $12.8 million in 2025 and $20 million in 2026. The bump in the final year of the deal also brings risks. Green Bay is projected to be over the cap next year in effective cap space by around $7 million, so general manager Brian Gutekunst and cap guru Russ Ball will have to find ways to clear up some room.
Big part of the puzzle
This offseason, the Packers are still giving indications that they want Elgton Jenkins around. The team allowed Josh Myers to walk in free agency, signing a modest deal with the New York Jets, and signed Aaron Banks to play left guard with the idea of moving Jenkins to his primary college position.
In the NFL, Jenkins has played all five offensive line positions to some degree—524 snaps at left tackle, 4,161 at left guard, 369 at center, one at right guard, and 374 at right tackle.
Wilde also mentioned that "the Packers have been reluctant to pay players who have reached their 30th birthday a third contract," which they unsuccessfully made for David Bakhtiari. Last offseason, the team also signed defensive tackle Kenny Clark to a third contract, and the early results are not great. However, Gutekunst has said that Jenkins can be an All-Pro center.
Banks and Jenkins are the two expensive pieces of the Packers' offensive line. But the other three projected starters (Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom) are entering a contract year. Presuming that Green Bay will prioritize Zach Tom, the team could lose their left tackle and right guard in free agency next offseason. The Packers invested in Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton for those two spots in some capacity, and the results of these picks in 2025 will be a big part of the plan moving forward. Ultimately, if the Packers are forced to pay Walker, for instance, cutting Jenkins might be an unfortunate consequence.
It's a moment of questions for Green Bay's offensive line, and only the season will bring the answers.
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