Elgton Jenkins
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GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 20: Elgton Jenkins #74 of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after beating the Houston Texans 24-22 at Lambeau Field on October 20, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
With the Las Vegas Raiders going out and signing former Baltimore Ravens star center Tyler Linderbaum to a massive three-year, $81 million deal, the Raiders now have a chance to create an all-star offensive line with the Green Bay Packers releasing two-time Pro Bowl OL Elgton Jenkins.
“The #Packers explored trade options for Elgton Jenkins before ultimately releasing him,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote.
Jenkins wasn’t released due to his play, but rather, a financial move from Green Bay’s standpoint to free up $19.5 million in cap space. He has experienced playing at all five positions on the offensive line and is best at left guard (made the Pro Bowl in 2020, 2022 playing LG), where the Raiders currently have an opening.
Jordan Schultz
BREAKING: The #Packers are releasing 2x Pro Bowl C Elgton Jenkins, per sources.
He’s expected to have a strong market.
Raiders Given Chance to Create All-Star O-Line with Elgton Jenkins
Even with the Raiders handing Linderbaum a massive contract, they shouldn’t stop investing in the offensive line.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders plan to play Jackson Powers-Johnson at guard after signing Linderbaum and don’t have any plans on trading him. So there’s Kolton Miller at left tackle, Linderbaum at center, and JPJ at right guard, where he played last season.
The Raiders like what they have in DJ Glaze, but could bring in competition at right tackle. The biggest question mark right now is at left guard. Dylan Parham is currently exploring his options on the open market, with the Tennessee Titans having interest in signing him, which could lead to the Raiders going another route at LG.
Although Jenkins is 30 years old, he could be one of the more underrated signings the Raiders could make this offseason.
What Jenkins Brings to the Table
Before the start of the 2025 season, ESPN surveyed league executives, coaches and scouts to rank the top 10 players at 11 different positions, with Jenkins ranking ninth among all interior offensive linemen.
“Not many players embody ‘positional flexibility’ more than Jenkins, who can handle all five positions on the line.
He was drafted as a guard, only to fill in at left tackle when David Bakhtiari got injured, then swung over to right tackle for a stint and played mostly left guard last year — but Jenkins is slated to man the center position in 2025.
Last season, Jenkins logged 942 snaps at left guard, 68 at center, one at right guard and three at right tackle. His pass block win rate was higher at center (96.6) than at guard (92.4). ESPN attributed two sacks to Jenkins all season, and he added 316 run-block wins.
‘The guy is so underrated,’ an NFL coordinator said. ‘Can play anywhere, tough, physical, smart.'”
That’s where the Packers messed up. Even though Jenkins can play all five positions, he’s best at left guard, not center where he played last season. However, that won’t be a problem in Las Vegas with Linderbaum set to anchor the middle of the offensive line.
If the Raiders could sign Jenkins to a deal worth under $14 million APY (average per year), it would be a sneaky-good addition.