The Green Bay Packers have a new starting center.
On Monday, Brian Gutekunst spoke with reporters at the annual owners meeting and confirmed that two-time Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins will move to center.
Elgton Jenkins is going to center, per Brian Gutekunst. Packers believe he can be an All-Pro there. pic.twitter.com/QWMTmMOAou
— Weston Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) March 31, 2025
“We think he can be an All-Pro center,” Gutekunst said.
With Jenkins moving to center, Aaron Banks is expected to start at left guard. The Packers gave him a four-year, $77 million contract, and there isn’t a realistic scenario where he doesn’t immediately start.
Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan will likely compete for the right guard job. Rhyan is entering the final year of his rookie deal and should have a sense of urgency to produce results. The Packers drafted Morgan to play tackle, but he logged 185 snaps at guard last season.
Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker will start at tackle, so the most likely configuration of Green Bay’s offensive line in 2025 will be Walker at left tackle, Banks at left guard, Jenkins at center, Rhyan or Morgan at right guard, and Tom at right tackle.
Green Bay has the flexibility to move some of those players around, but shifting Jenkins to center could be a one-year setup. The Packers will face tough decisions in 2026 regarding two of their three potential starters on the offensive line.
Tom, Walker, and Rhyan are all slated to be unrestricted free agents next year, and it will be difficult for the Packers to retain all of them. Tom has played all five positions on the starting line and finished third in All-Pro voting for right tackle last year, making it hard to imagine a scenario where Green Bay doesn’t pay him.
Contract discussions with Walker and Rhyan should happen immediately after the Packers finalize Tom’s deal. While Green Bay can retain both starting tackles, if Walker returns, Jenkins will likely be gone. Once Tom’s deal expires, Green Bay could have up to three big contracts on the offensive line. The Packers could free up $20 million in their 2026 cap space with a Jenkins trade or release, creating room for a Walker extension.
Jenkins will turn 30 in December, while Walker is just 25. The Packers don’t typically hand out third contracts, and when considering a long-term roster-building strategy, it makes more sense for Green Bay to move on from Jenkins and bring Walker back.
I believe the Packers releasing or trading Jenkins at the start of the 2026 league year is more likely than him playing multiple seasons as a center. That said, Jenkins is a two-time Pro Bowler at guard and has also started four games at center in his NFL career, giving up only two pressures and zero sacks in 255 pass-blocking snaps. Moving on from him will not be an easy decision.
Pro Bowl guards don’t grow on trees, but with Green Bay facing difficult cap space situations in 2026, tough decisions are inevitable. They might decide to move on from Jenkins while maintaining a competitive roster for the foreseeable future.
If the Jenkins center experiment lasts only through 2025 and he’s gone in 2026, Green Bay’s potential starting five for the future could include Walker and Tom on the outside, with Morgan and Banks at guard. However, the Packers would need to find a new starting center. It’s also possible that Green Bay will want to try Morgan at tackle. If he has a strong camp and season in 2024, the Packers could gain clarity, allow Walker to hit the market, and keep Jenkins at center.
Jenkins moving to center looks more like a short-term solution. However, if he has an All-Pro season, it will be difficult for Green Bay to consider moving on from him. But that would be a good problem to have.