Elgton Jenkins could lose a massive amount of money if he holds out from Packers training camp, and the fines would pile up fast

The Green Bay Packers and offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins haven't reached an agreement on an adjusted version of his contract. We are less than a week away from training camp, and there hasn't been a word about if the player will report or how the negotiations are developing.

So far, Jenkins is under contract for two more seasons, slated to make $12.8 million in 2025 and $20 million in 2026. So, technically, the ball is on his court. Expected to move to center, Jenkins skipped the voluntary program and held in during mandatory minicamp to avoid fines.

What missing training camp means

If Jenkins and his representation decide to be more proactive to force their hand for a new contract, the player could skip training camp and holdout. But that has real financial consequences for him.

For each day that a player misses, starting on the report date, he is fined $50,000. The Packers have scheduled 15 practices, so it's a total of $750,000 in fines. The Packers can't rescind the fines even if the parties agree to a new deal. The money of the fines isn't credited back to the Packers' salary cap either, and goes to a fund for former players. What Green Bay will have credited back in 2026 is the $500,000 in a workout bonus that Jenkins had tied to his voluntary offseason participation.

Extreme cases

In addition to fines, the Packers or any NFL team could be more active to fine a player if they desire to do so. Starting on the sixth day of a training camp holdout, the team can recoup 15% of the prorated amount of the signing bonus. In Jenkins' case, that would be $720,000. The Packers could add 1% to that amount up to a maximum of 25% of the prorated signing bonus during training camp, which would be $1.2 million.

Combining the signing bonus recovery plus the normal fines, the total amount could be as high as $1.95 million. It's a costly decision, and it would be hard for Jenkins to make up for that on a new or adjusted deal.

Most-likely scenario

Since holdouts are extremely unlikely based on how the NFL rules are constructed, it's much more likely that Elgton Jenkins will repeat the approach he had during the mandatory minicamp. He will report, but won't practice—which is frequently called a hold in. At some point, though, if there isn't a real injury, the Packers can demand his participation.

Obviously, these are rough scenarios for both sides. Jenkins wants his money and likely more security, while the Packers want to keep flexibility and their starting center on the field as soon as possible to practice with quarterback Jordan Love. Ultimately, it would probably be better for everyone if the parties can find an agreement—be it an extension or a revised deal—before anything extreme needs to unilaterally happen.