The Green Bay Packers and Elgton Jenkins have been rumored to be parting ways since the 2025 season ended. After signing Aaron Banks in free agency a year ago, the Packers tried to extend Jenkins’s time in Green Bay by moving him to center. However, a failed experiment combined with a lower leg fracture that ended his season in November appeared to be the final snaps he would take in a Packers uniform.
With free agency approaching, the two sides had yet to make their divorce official. But the Packers made an emphatic statement on Sunday morning when NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Packers have agreed to a three-year, $33 million contract extension with Sean Rhyan that could be worth up to $39 million with incentives.
The big money deal is surprising considering that Rhyan has made just nine starts at center and will now be one of the highest-paid players at his position. But it is also an unexpected way to make Jenkins’s departure from Green Bay a formality with free agency opening this week.
Elgton Jenkins Sees Time with Packers End After Sean Rhyan's New Deal
The Packers would probably like to have Jenkins around, but his contract made that highly unlikely. Entering his age-31 season, Jenkins is set to have a $24.3 million cap hit and is likely looking for a contract extension, as he has no guaranteed money remaining on the four-year, $68 million contract extension signed in 2022.
While there was a slight chance Jenkins could return under a revised deal, it was unlikely to happen due to his performance at center, logging a career-low 62.0 overall grade and allowing 10 pressures and two sacks in 293 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. The Packers also don’t appear willing to move on from Banks after a lackluster first season in Green Bay, meaning Rhyan’s contract may have been the official kick out the door.
The Packers are playing a similar game with Rhyan as they did with Jenkins one year ago. In 876 snaps, Rhyan logged a 59.2 overall grade and allowed 29 pressures and a sack on 480 pass-blocking snaps. But he was also an upgrade in the running game with a 65.6 run-blocking grade compared to Jenkins’s 60.6 grade over the first nine games. In addition, Rhyan’s annual average value of $11 million is roughly half of what Jenkins’s cap hit would be next season, which means the Packers have made their decision on who will play center in 2026.
Now the question is how the Packers will split with Jenkins. A straight release is an option and would save Green Bay $19.5 million in cap space entering free agency. The Packers could also wait and see what happens with other top options on the market, including Cade Mays of the Carolina Panthers and Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens. If both players sign extensions, Jenkins could be a prized trade target by other teams, allowing the Packers to get something in return.
Wherever Jenkins plays in 2026, it won’t be in Green Bay and all that’s left is to send him either to the free agent market or to a new team in the coming days.