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The Green Bay Packers resolved a notable contract dilemma on Friday, coming to terms with left guard Elgton Jenkins on a multiyear deal. Jenkins, who was set to become a free agent in the offseason, reportedly agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension deal that could be worth up to $74 million.
On Friday, Jenkins revealed that he did put some thought into testing free agency, but at the end of the day, he wanted to stay put with the Packers.
“It's always in the air, but the coaches wanted me here, I wanted to be here,” Jenkins said. “As long as we could have come to an agreement, it was good.”
For Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, he was much pleased to see Jenkins sign off on a new multiyear contract.
“It’s a great day for us, a great day for Elgton,” LaFleur said during a press conference on Friday. “Obviously he’s earned it, and he does it the right way. It’s always fun as a coach to see guys that get rewarded for not only their performance but what they do in the locker room and the leadership he brings.
“I can’t say enough great things about him.”
Jenkins has been as valuable as could be for the Packers since joining the organization in 2019. He has played in 52 regular season games for Green Bay, and when LaFleur has called on him to fill in for other offensive linemen, he has been able to do just that and more. For one, he featured in eight contests at the left tackle position in the 2021 campaign, as David Bakhtiari continued to rehab his ACL injury.
LaFleur sees that Jenkins simply defines versatile for Green Bay.
“I think he's shown that, right?” LaFleur said. “He's shown the ability. I don't think there's a position up front that he can't play. Certainly the more people you have like that, obviously it allows you to put the best five guys out there.”
The Packers now have four out of their five starting offensive linemen under contract for at least the next two seasons. They sure will now turn their attention to addressing the future of tackle Yosh Nijman, who is set to become a restricted free agent in the offseason.
