The Green Bay Packers checked one big offseason box on Monday by signing right tackle Zach Tom to a new contract. Now their eyes must turn to Elgton Jenkins, an even more tricky situation.
Jenkins sat out offseason workouts, appearing at mandatory minicamp to avoid a fine, but not practicing. He wants guaranteed money in a restructured contract as he shifts from guard to center in 2025. Regardless of those negotiations, his situation is complicated by starting training camp on the Non-Football Injury list. Neither the Packers nor the player have indicated what that injury is exactly.
Rob Demovsky of ESPN reported that the Packers are "willing to talk, but possibly not til later in the season after he's settled in at center."
I'm going to take a guess and say Jenkins won't be thrilled about that timeline. He didn't sit out offseason workouts to talk about a new contract in October. He reasonably wants assurances before the season starts.
Jenkins' current deal runs through the 2026 season, so his leverage is limited. Still, the Packers did just give a $30.2 million in a signing bonus to Tom. A restructure with some guaranteed money feels like a reasonable ask considering the sacrifice Jenkins is agreeing to make for the team; Center is a less lucrative position than guard.
Packers playing chicken with Elgton Jenkins is a headscratcher
The lack of urgency from the Packers on that front is concerning. Maybe they know they've got time considering the NFI designation. Or maybe this mysterious injury is more serious and long-term than it currently seems, creating uncertainty around Jenkins' future availability.
But Jenkins is their Plan A at center for the 2025 season and beyond as far as we know. If Green Bay thought he wouldn't be available for injury reasons, we'd likely see movement to indicate that. So they're either going to have to pay him or take this game of chicken to the brink and hope he breaks first.
I'm not sure I'd do that with a Pro Bowl offensive lineman. They're not moving him because he wasn't working out at guard. He was doing great there, in fact. He's shifting to center because the team brought in Aaron Banks to fill his spot, forcing the move. If there was any concern that Jenkins couldn't cut it at center, they shouldn't have taken that leap in the first place.