Packers can find a way to keep Elgton Jenkins and still protect their future, but it's all about finding the right balance

It's a hard topic, because I truly understand both sides. Jenkins is slated to make $12.8 million this year and $20 million next year, which is probably a little underpaid based on the current interior of the offensive line market. At the same time, the Packers like to pay more money upfront in the form of a signing bonus, and Jenkins made $23.262 million back in 2022 to have these team options later on the contract. And if they do acquiesce, it creates a bad precedent by doing it for a player with two years left on his old deal.

I don't see the Packers adding more money to the contract, but it's possible to add some player-friendly elements to make things better for Jenkins, like some individual incentives for All-Pro appearances that wouldn't hit the cap in 2025, guaranteeing the 2025 salary that they know they will pay anyway, and maybe converting part of his 2026 salary into a roster bonus due in March to force an early decision, giving Jenkins a head-start in free agency if he's to be cut.

Realistically it could be two, Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Sean Rhyan and Anthony Belton at right guard. However, I don't feel like rotating players at left tackle is a safe option. If Morgan isn't ready to take over at left tackle, just leave Walker there and make the former first-rounder fight for the right guard job as well.

I understand the rotation to get everything ready to some degree, but at the same time there hasn't been proof of concept of the rotation being that useful to develop players, which would theoretically be the ultimate goal of the decision.

The draft didn't bring many surprises evaluating what they targeted, but more of what they didn’t (cornerback). In free agency, that’s certainly the decision to sign a high-paid guard, especially because Aaron Banks doesn’t bring positional versatility—you truly can’t see him as a tackle at any point.

The Packers have had completely different parameters to add veterans and rookies, and it showed again with Banks. I could see them adding a lower-priced veteran to offer some depth, but the highest-paid free agent at the interior of the offensive line was not on my bingo card.

It's hard to replicate the same model the Packers have in any type of international sport because most community-owned clubs will demand some rotation of power. I talked to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette last year ahead of the Packers playing in Brazil about the topic, and the Packers' model is truly unique in any sports structure around the world.

It's not exactly a democratic model, though, and it works only because the city of Green Bay is also unique, and the NFL established special rules for this model a long time ago. Putting something like that in place at this moment of history would be unimaginable.

The Packers have already used what they could from the Malik Willis offense . Jordan Love isn’t a great scrambler, and wasn’t last year in particular because of his injuries. But Matt LaFleur still took advantage of some running concepts he established under Willis when Love was back.

In the passing game, there wasn’t much to use because it was very basic and limited considering that Willis is a limited passer. LaFleur is a creative play-designer, and the offense will keep evolving in 2025, whoever the quarterback is. But Love obviously gives the scheme more leeway because he can access every part of the field with his arm and is a much more consistent thrower.