The Green Bay Packers feel they’re in a championship window, but much of their success hinges on the abilities of Jordan Love.
Can he be an elite quarterback? He’s shown that potential. He also struggled with injury for much of the 2024 season, so keeping him healthy and protected is an important piece of the puzzle for Green Bay.
The Packers feel they have a strong offensive line, and they reinforced it this offseason by signing 6-foot-5, 325-pound Aaron Banks to play left guard. That move would allow two-time Pro Bowl guard/tackle Elgton Jenkins to move to center, a position he’s quite familiar with. With Jenkins at center, which has been somewhat of a weak spot recently, the Packers feel they can put the best five offensive linemen on the field to protect Love. They also believe Jenkins can be great at center, which he played at Texas A&M.
It seems like a flawless plan, except Jenkins hasn’t been a part of offseason workouts this spring. Now, Rob Demovsky of ESPN is reporting that while Jenkins is fine with the move to center, he’s worried about the long-term financial ramifications because centers make significantly less money in the NFL than guards and certainly tackles do.
“Jenkins has two years left on a four-year, $68 million contract extension he signed in December of 2022. It was designed to pay him as if he were staying at guard while also remaining competitive if he moved to the higher-priced tackle position. The average of $17 million would make him among the highest-paid centers in the league,” Demovsky wrote. “The problem, however, is that centers typically make far less than the highest-paid guards or tackles, so Jenkins’ concerns are tied to future earnings, which could be significantly lower as a center.”
Jenkins is looking for financial stability. The Packers are looking for stability at center.
There’s probably a middle ground in there somewhere — Demovsky suggests that the Packers could guarantee some of the $32.8 million remaining on his current deal — but the fact of the matter is that this needs to be solved sooner than later for Green Bay.
A contract dispute in May is one thing, but if this drags into the summer and even into training camp, something like this could really derail the start of the 2025 season.
Consistency is key along an offensive line, and that’s not even to mention the consistency that needs to be developed between a center and quarterback.
For Love’s sake, the Packers need to resolve this quickly and make sure their new center is happy. Anything else would be malpractice by general manager Brian Gutekunst.
