Elgton Jenkins Embraces Position Change, Downplays Contract Hurdles

After practicing for the first time at Green Bay Packers training camp on Monday, Elgton Jenkins said he’s all-in on his move to center and has pushed his financial desires into the background.

Early in the offseason, Jenkins was hoping a position change would come with a contract extension. That desire comes with a couple of realities that Jenkins downplayed.

One, he’ll turn 30 on Dec. 26. The Packers don’t have a 30-year-old player on the roster other than kicker Brandon McManus and long snapper Matt Orzech. Would the Packers hand a rare third contract to a player tied to the team when he’s 31, 32 or 33?

“I’m going on (Year) 7 right now, so probably like five, six more” good seasons,” Jenkins said. “I feel like I'm the type of guy, if I want to play till I'm 34, 35, I can do that. But right now, I'm just focusing on the position at hand and the year that's coming up.”

Two, when it comes to a potential contract extension: offensive tackles make more money than guards and guards make more money than centers. According to Spotrac, five guards are making at least $20 million per season. Including Aaron Banks, who the Packers signed to a four-year, $77 million contract in free agency, 13 are making at least $15 million annually. 

Meanwhile, no center is making more than $18 million per season and Jenkins is one of only three making at least $15 million.

“No, it don’t (matter), honestly,” he said. “I'm blessed. Was able to come in the league, make a lot of money and I feel like I still got a lot of more years ahead of me. I feel like the financial part of it’s going to work itself out just by my play.”

Interestingly, Jenkins didn’t just accept a move to center. Rather, he said he was an impetus behind it.

Last year, Jenkins said he told the team he wanted to move to center “later in my career.” During Jenkins’ exit interview following the season-ending loss to the Eagles in which he suffered a stringer and missed most of the game, general manager Brian Gutekunst brought up the possibility.

“When they asked me, I was like, yeah, and they gave me some time to think on it,” Jenkins said. “Talked to them again and I told them I’d do it.”

In free agency, the Packers signed Banks to take Jenkins’ spot at left guard and chose not to re-sign three-year starting center Josh Myers.

For the good of the team, Jenkins signed off on the position change.

“I know we’ve got a lot of guys,” he said. “Obviously, we had a first-rounder [Jordan Morgan], trying to find a position for him to play. Just better in the O-line. Tried to see whether they were going to bring Josh back; they didn’t bring him back. After that, they called me and they asked me to confirm it and I said yeah.”

Jenkins skipped the voluntary part of the offseason – “I’m having changes in my family right now,” Jenkins explained – and watched the mandatory minicamp from the sideline because of a back injury he said was sustained lifting weights. Thus, Jenkins’ first work as the starting center came on Monday.

In his camp debut, Jenkins took part in individual drills after missing the first four practices of camp because of the back.

“There was definitely some rust that had to be knocked off,” Jenkins said. “I’m about to get ins and outs of things, but I played it in college, got drafted here as a center. It’s not going to be anything different. I played it last year [against Detroit], played it a couple games early in my career, so it’s not going to be nothing crazy and I feel like I’ll be a great center in this league.”

Gutekunst has said Jenkins could be an All-Pro at the position.

“I feel like the sky’s the limit, honestly,” he said. “I can be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl, same guy – probably even better, honestly. We’re just going to see.”

Jenkins said he didn’t expect anything to be done with his contract before the season, and that his focus is building chemistry with the rest of the line and quarterback Jordan Love.

“Right now, where we’re at is focusing on being the best player I can be,” he said. “Been playing this game for twenty-some years, seven years in the league. I’m very confident in my ability and what I can do. The financial side, I know that’s going to come. Right now, it’s just how can we build chemistry within the O-line to get better and as an offense.”