Last offseason, there seemed to be no room for compromise with Elgton Jenkins’ contract situation. If you thought that was contentious, this year will almost certainly be even starker. After his 2025 season ended in Week 10 due to a fractured leg, and given all the components of his contract, Jenkins will enter this offseason as a prime cap casualty candidate.
When the Green Bay Packers decided to fork over a four-year, $77 million deal to left guard Aaron Banks to come over from San Francisco, it set into motion a hell of a domino effect. Banks was the new left guard, and Jenkins, who had played at an All-Pro level at left guard for years, would move over one spot to the right to play center.
Last summer, when Jenkins made this transition, he wanted clarity on his current deal. He had two years remaining at the time, with all the guaranteed money already paid out. When the Packers didn’t extend an olive branch by offering an extension, Jenkins sat out parts of the offseason program but was ready to go in September.
Now there’s one fewer year on that current contract and even less clarity for Jenkins about his future. From Green Bay’s perspective, there’s an easy financial decision to make.
Elgton Jenkins is set to have the fourth-highest cap hit on the team if nothing changes in his current deal. For a player as good as Jenkins, who is also 30 and didn’t adjust well to the change at center — and is coming off a broken leg — it doesn’t make sense for the Packers to keep him on the roster. Releasing him will free up a whopping $20 million in cap space.
Green Bay is going to be tight against the cap this offseason. Any thought of being even slightly active in free agency will likely require cap casualties in Jenkins and Rashan Gary, just as a starting point. Add to that the fact that center isn’t one of the greatest positions of need.
Sean Rhyan is entering unrestricted free agency after his rookie deal expired following the season. The former 2022 third-round pick made the switch from starting right guard to starting center after the Jenkins injury. Was Rhyan all of a sudden playing at an All-Pro level at center? No. But he was solid and every bit as productive as Jenkins at the position before his injury.
According to Sportrac, Rhyan’s projected market value is $6 million annually, with an expected three-year deal totaling $19 million. That’s well within Green Bay’s budget and much more cost-effective than Jenkins’ cap hit for 2026.
There’s always a chance Jenkins could restructure his deal with the Packers. But, quite frankly, if that were going to happen, it would’ve occurred last year. Even before the injury he suffered in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles in November, most fans and analysts alike believed this would be Jenkins’s last year in Green Bay.
If the Packers release Jenkins and Rhyan signs elsewhere in free agency, they could have a hell of a dilemma on their hands. However, it’s safe to assume they have some sort of plan in place entering the offseason, and it likely starts with releasing Jenkins.
It’s also worth noting that they have Jacob Monk as a potential option, at least for depth at the position.
Last offseason, when the decision was made to move Jenkins to center, general manager Brian Gutekunst calmed the noise by suggesting Jenkins could be an All-Pro at his new position.
We feel he’s got a chance to be an All-Pro center. We’ve talked about it a lot, how versatility plays into our offensive line and having guys that can move to different spots, and Elgton’s one of those guys who can play all five spots. So, he’s a luxury, but I’m excited to see what he can do at center, as well.
It didn’t work out as planned, and that’s not all Jenkins’ fault. He was operating like a well-oiled machine at left guard, and Green Bay decided to tinker with something that shouldn’t have been tinkered with. Plenty of teams might still view him as a strong left guard.
Maybe the discussions would be different had Elgton Jenkins stepped in, played center at an All-Pro level, and remained healthy. But this feels like a situation where both parties see the writing on the wall. As a result, Jenkins will be a prime candidate for cap-casualty land this offseason.