Green Bay Packers beat reporter Jason Wilde reported on Tuesday that Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins, who, according to general manager Brian Gutekunst, will be moving from left guard to center this season, is looking to restructure his contract. According to Wilde, that’s one reason why Jenkins hasn’t shown up to voluntary workouts, despite Jenkins having a $500,000 workout bonus in his deal.
Based on how Jenkins’ contract is structured, it’s going to be tough to imagine a new deal worked out between the two sides unless both he and the team get a little of what they want.
In 2025, Jenkins carries a $17.6 million cap hit, which is already the sixth-largest cap hit on the team behind Jordan Love, Rashan Gary, Jaire Alexander, Kenny Clark and Xavier McKinney. Obviously, Alexander might be removed from this list, be it by a release, trade or contract restructure of his own, by the time games actually start.
In 2026, Jenkins’ cap hit will jump all the way up to $24.8 million. With a dead cap of just $4.8 million, the team would save $20 million, the cash he’s set to earn in 2026, with a release.
So I’m sure Jenkins wants to receive an extension that will ensure that he’ll be around in 2026, rather than being on the chopping block. With that being said, the Packers are already set to be over the cap next year and Jenkins, along with Alexander and Clark, is one of the big contracts that they can get out of to create cap space.
Here’s some perspective, too: Jenkins will make $20 million in cash in 2026 on his current deal. The highest-paid center in the league right now is the Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, who makes $18 million a year. The highest-paid guard on a multi-year contract in the league is the Philadelphia Eagles’ Landon Dickerson, who is on a $21 million per year deal. So, as far as interior linemen go, Jenkins’ 2026 money is already near the top of the market.
Only three NFL offensive linemen carry a larger cap hit in 2025 than Jenkins’ $24.8 million figure, all of whom play tackle, not guard.
This is all to say, Jenkins wants long-term security, understandably, because he’s staring down the barrel of becoming a cap casualty in 2026. So if he really wants to ink a new deal with Green Bay, the question becomes how much he’s willing to widdle off his $20 million cash schedule for next year. The Packers almost certainly won’t have the appetite to pay that, considering they’re projected to be over the cap and still need to figure out what to do with linebacker Quay Walker, receiver Christian Watson, right tackle Zach Tom, left tackle Rasheed Walker and others before the 2026 new league year.