The Cleveland Browns gamble on Elgton Jenkins' proven talent and versatility despite injury concerns. The Green Bay Packers prioritize cap space over a veteran offensive line anchor.
Long-time Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins has not waited long to find a new NFL home.
A day after the Packers cut him in an effort to save a chunk of money against their 2026 salary cap, Jenkins has signed a new contract.
According to NFL Insider Ian Rapaport, Jenkins has signed a two-year deal with the Cleveland Browns worth $24 million ($20 million of it is guaranteed).
This is a tricky deal for the Browns.
On one hand, Jenkins is a two-time Pro Bowl guard and he's versatile enough to play guard, center or tackle at the NFL level. The Packers selected him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State and he spent the first five seasons of his NFL career as one of the best offensive linemen in the league.
There was a slight drop in play in 2024, though, and Jenkins fell off a cliff in 2025. One has to wonder how much of that had to do with the Packers moving Jenkins from left guard to center, a position he had played in college but never played in the NFL.
He also got hurt in 2025, suffering a season-ending left lower-leg fracture and ankle injury in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Browns are playing a game right now with Jenkins. Are they getting a two-time Pro Bowler who just needs a change of scenery to revitalize his career? Or, are they getting an offensive lineman on the wrong side of 30 who is coming off a catastrophic injury as well as a downturn in pay?
That's their risk to take, because the Packers figured that saving the nearly $20 million in cap space was worth not having to figure out the answer to that question in 2026.
This is despite the fact that Jenkins was a homegrown talent and one of the leaders for this offense over the past few seasons.
Without a doubt, the Packers got better with Sean Rhyan playing center instead of Jenkins last season, so they gave Rhyan a three-year, $33 million contract to run it back. As Justis Mosqueda of Acme Packing Company pointed out, Rhyan's new deal is essentially for one year with two team options slapped onto the back of it.
Now, the question for the Packers is this: What will they do with the money they saved by cutting Jenkins?
$20 million can be worth a lot in free agency, but the Packers must spend it wisely.
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