Elgton Jenkins admits Packers will be 'different' without Aaron Rodgers

Left guard Elgton Jenkins has become the latest person associated with the Green Bay Packers to indicate the team is ready to start 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love and move on from Aaron Rodgers. 

"Obviously, '12' is a Hall of Fame player and (we don’t know) what we’re going to get out of Jordan, but either way it goes, I feel like going forward, we’ll be good," Jenkins said of the club's quarterback situation, per Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal. "As long as I can remember, Aaron Rodgers has been the quarterback here. But it’s a new chapter. We’ve got to embrace that and just move forward." 

Packers offensive tackle David Bakhtiari generated plenty of headlines when he suggested during the latest edition of the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast that Packers president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy and/or general manager Brian Gutekunst could keep Rodgers from making his desired move to the New York Jets unless Gang Green matches Green Bay's asking price for the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player before, during or after the upcoming draft. 

Jenkins, who originally joined the Packers via the 2019 player-selection process, sounded confident Rodgers will eventually make his way to the Big Apple this spring or summer. 

"It’s going to be a big change," Jenkins said about not having Rodgers in the lineup. "It’s going to be a big difference. You’ve got a Hall of Fame quarterback that you’ve been playing in front of for the last four years. I’ll say mentally, it’s probably going to be different because he’s been playing the game for so many years. But like I said, I feel like we’ll be good."

According to Matt Hladik of The Spun, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported during an on-air segment on Tuesday that the Packers and Jets "appear to be dug in" as it pertains to trade talks. 

Green Bay doesn't have to worry about the $58.3M option bonus attached to Rodgers' contract until Week 1 of the 2023-24 season, and that may be why Bakhtiari believes the Packers holding onto the signal-caller past the draft remains on the table near the halfway point of April.