CENTER CUT: Why the Packers should try to TRADE Elgton Jenkins rather than cut him

The expectation is Elton Jenkins will be a cap casualty this off season for the Packers,

but with the way offensive lineman are already being traded, Brian Goodockens should be

on the horn trying to trade Elton Jenkins before cutting him.

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I want to know who you think the number one Packers Draft Crush would be if the Packers

had a first drum pick.

We had to push our mock draft Monday to Tuesday because there was so much to talk about

and speaking of so much to talk about.

We had not one but two offensive lineman trades in the last 48 hours.

This is a good, not great offensive line draft.

There's no elite prospects at the top and the entire league seemingly needs help along

the offensive line.

And so the assumption has been that the Packers are going to cut out in Jenkins.

Well, why have they not done it already?

They only have basically a week to get their financial house in order before the New

League year opens and saving the $20 million that you would save for moving on from

Milton Jenkins would get them back to where they need to be at least in the short term.

But one of the biggest criticisms I had of Ted Thompson was there were times over

the years where he moved on from players, name players, former high pedigree players,

guys like Josh Sitten, guys like Mike Daniels, where it did not seem like they exhausted

the possibilities of a trade before they decided we're just going to cut them.

There's no way you can tell me that those players could not have garnered the Packers

some sort any kind of trade value.

There's just no way you can reasonably argue that.

Now Elton Jenkins is a pro bowl caliber player.

Now I know he did not play up to his standards.

This past season, but he was playing out of position this past season.

So a team that says, well, we're just going to play him at guard because that's his natural

position.

Suddenly the price tag, which is considerable is not that bad.

He's still only 30 years old will be turning 31 in December.

So you get most of the season before he even turns 31.

He is under contract in 2026 and the base salary is big, 18 and a half million dollars.

Now that would be the cap hit, but you could also work out something in that situation.

You could extend him.

You could add void years and spread out the cap hit if you wanted to do it that way.

Elton Jenkins is someone who if the Packers cut him will get a multi year deal on the

open market for 14, 15, 16 million dollars a year easily.

I understand he's coming off a serious injury and has had injury issues in his past.

But if you look at the guys who are available on the open market, there's not a long list

of quality players and we just saw a team like the Chicago Bears revamp their team focusing

on the offensive line and it fundamentally changed what they were able to do run and pass.

How would Elton Jenkins help the Houston Texans?

How would Elton Jenkins help the L.A. Chargers?

How would Elton Jenkins help the New England Patriots?

There are plenty of teams out there contending teams who will be willing to foot the bill,

who will be willing to give up draft capital.

Now the problem if there is one for the Packers is that everyone kind of knows that he could

be a cap casualty, but David Montgomery was going to be a cap casualty to and they

instead got real value for him, got a player that they could potentially, if they wanted

to plug in the offensive line, plus a fourth round pick, I would rather have Elton Jenkins

than David Montgomery, but I would rather have a fourth round pick than Elton Jenkins at

his price.

Now, maybe the Packers work something out.

I don't think that's beyond the the pale either.

Packers could say, hey, let's do a two year extension, let's change this cap figure.

We haven't really talked about that as a possibility, but given the way that the season went,

I don't know why you wouldn't at least consider it, it would certainly not preclude you from

then going out and drafting a developmental center.

It would also allow you to wait on an interior offensive line, and it would solidify the

center of your offensive line.

I know Elton Jenkins did not play great, but I think another year with these guys, also,

you had a lot of moving parts around you, Sean Ryan, Jordan Morgan, Jordan Morgan's

playing the left side, Jordan Morgan's playing tackle, Anthony Bell, and now there's

a lot of reasons why Elton Jenkins did not play his best football.

He's now going to have another off season.

Maybe you could justify bringing him back.

Maybe you could say, hey, this would actually work out better if you came back and he's

better than anyone you're likely to get in the draft.

Maybe, maybe not.

We'll look at it when we do a mock draft Monday, but for the Packers, you can't tell me that

there are not offensive line needy teams out there.

That would say, hey, we would love Elton Jenkins.

Now again, they could just say, we'll wait.

We're not going to give you draft capital for him.

But Elton Jenkins is currently under contract.

So it's not like, well, he's going to hit free agency anyway.

So we'll just wait a week.

No, no.

And also the Packers could say, well, we'll just wait too.

We'll see what's out there.

Before we work the deal, they haven't cut him already for a reason.

And there's really only two reasons.

And that is one, they're working on a trade or they're at least trying to trade him and

they could take that right up until the newly gear if they wanted or two, they're working

on a restructured contract.

Now last off season, Elton Jenkins held out because he wanted assurances that he would

not be in this exact position.

He would not be stuck going, I'm going to get cut coming off a season where I'm not

playing my best position.

Pretty clear at this point, center was not his best position, at least not without with

a limited off season to do it all, but part of that was because he was holding out.

But he could say, look, a full off season, you know who your left guard is going to be.

You know who your right guard is going to be.

Let me come back.

Let me work through this.

Let me add, you know, add a year or two to the deal.

Let's take that 18 and a half million that I'm going to make.

Let's turn some of it into signing bonus.

Let's add a year to the deal.

And if you want me next year, then you have me next year and you thought Brian Gutekins

that I could play at an elite level and all pro level, that was what Brian Gutekins

said.

Elton Jenkins didn't say that Brian Gutekins said that.

So if the packers thought he was capable of that level of play, do they not anymore?

Or was that just something they'd never really believed?

I think they probably did.

I certainly believed he could be an elite center.

I've been saying that for two or three years now.

But even even if he wasn't an elite center last year and he's not worth the 18 and a half

million dollars, that's more like what Tyler Lindermom is going to get on the open market

as a center.

But at guard, that's just what starting guards cost, starting guards in free agency, capable

starting guards.

Elton Jenkins has shown he's better than that.

Capable starting guards cost between 16 and 20 million dollars on the open market.

So 18 and a half is not a crazy price and you again, you could extend him, move some of

that money, lower the cap it in your one if you wanted to.

At the very least, the packers have to explore every option they have out there, including

eating some money potentially, like if you're going to save 20 million dollars, why not?

If you're going to get compensation, why not eat five?

Eat five million dollars and, you know, get a little bit better pick in a draft where

you already don't have a first drum pick.

Maybe that's worth it.

Now I want to talk about that first drum pick, because this is a funky draft.

And it's the perfect draft for the packers not to have a pick.

But if the packers did have a pick, who would you want?

Let's talk about that next.

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This was a question raised by Mark old acres on Twitter.

She said TV writer, someone that I that I really like following someone who I think does

a great job asking questions and analyzing the Packers.

If the Packers had their pick, who would be the guy that Packer fans would be salivating

over?

Now that starts with the need positions generally.

And I think for the Packers, we're talking about corner in particular.

The problem for the Packers is coming out of the combine.

A lot of these guys did not test.

And some of the guys who did test tested or measured small or short armed.

That's a problem for the Packers.

So I just looked at the Daniel Jeremiah top 50.

This is pre combined.

The Packers would have had the 20th pick.

That's what the Cowboys now pick for them.

The guys in this range, like even if you go best case situation, I don't think that the

Packers would be looking at an offensive tackle.

I just think their investment there Jordan Morgan is their guy.

And so that doesn't really that doesn't really compute for me.

Jermain McCoy is a player in the in the mid teams that that I think Packer fans would

be interested in.

Problem is he was at six one, but measured under 190 pounds, 188 small hands didn't have

long arms and then didn't test.

So I don't think Packer fans would be going nuts about that.

Any probably frankly is going to go anyway, and he missed all of 2025 with an ACL.

I can't see Packer fans pining over him.

There are some safeties in this range.

Some receivers in this range can't see the Packers or their fans going.

This is what the team needs.

There are some past rushers, but given the investment, given the money, I still think

the most likely outcome for the Packers is to restructure Roshan Gary and have him come

back.

Speaking of players, you'd like to trade.

If you're going to cut Roshan Gary and I still don't think that's the wise move given

the money, but if you could get a top 100 pick for Roshan Gary, I would be doing that.

I just don't know.

I don't know what the market is going to be given the price and given what the Packers

stand to gain.

They don't really gain financial flexibility by moving on from him.

Not relative to what the cost is.

So like to someone like a key method or really do it for you, cash is howl.

And again, it's a lot of these guys tested small, short-armed relative to what the Packers

generally look for.

Dylan Thiniman is someone who blew up the combine, but he plays safety.

The Packers are in a really good position at safety.

Blake Miller from Clemson Monroe feeling from Georgia, so offensive lineman, I just don't

see the Packers, even if they had their first round pick going that direction.

The name that stood out to me was Colton Hood.

Colton Hood is 26th on Daniel Jeremiah's board was a little bit further down 28th on

Dame Ruggler's board, six, six foot tall, 193 pounds, but did not have big hands, did

not have long arms, but did run 444, 1058, 10 yard split, jumped 40 and a half, 105

broad.

Those are pretty good numbers.

According to the next gen athleticism score was the fourth most athletic corner at the

combine.

So would he have been the name, okay, maybe, but I think the thing about this draft is there

aren't a lot of players worth really getting excited about in the first round.

So how different if the guys at 20, we're going to be second round grade guys for you anyway.

That really is the difference.

Is there a big difference between the guy you'd get at 20 and the guy you'd get at 52?

Another corner at the end of the first round, avian terrell, small by Packers standards.

And so the defensive tackles are not considered to be of that that quality, Caden MacDonald,

he's a nose tackle from Ohio State, if you're going to take a nose tackle with limited

pass rush upside at 20, Kayla Banks is 36 here, not profile, focus likes him a lot more.

I understand that.

I don't.

Frankly, I think I think the tape scares me with him.

He be tested extremely, extremely well.

He's 24th on Dan Bruegler's board.

I think he could have been a name though at 63634, ran fast for his size, jumped crazy

for his size.

You go back and you look at the 2024 tape, the game against LSU, he's absolutely wrecking

the game, but he's really inconsistent player.

I would be scared to death to take him at the top 20, the top, I would be scared to death

to take him if he were there at 52.

I really would and I understand I'm on the outside of that.

I just, man, it scares me.

It really does at 37 on Dano Jeremiah's list as Brandon C say, Peter Woods didn't test

and is small.

Kristen Miller, the defensive tackle from Georgia, like if he makes it to 52, okay, cool,

but you wouldn't take him at 20s 41 on this list.

Again, is the difference in player that big Anthony Hill, Jr.

The linebacker from Texas, we talked about him tested extremely, extremely well models

his game after I dream Cooper, you put him in Cooper together, they would be awesome.

He might sneak into the first round.

He also might be available in the 50s, where the packers pick.

That's the group of players that you're looking at here.

And so that's that's kind of the point that I'm making.

That's not kind of the point.

It is exactly the point that I'm making.

Unlike Kianta Scott, 511, 193, doesn't have, you know, great, great length, 31 and

three quarters inch arms, didn't test.

So you're asking questions about him at this point, and maybe you will test eventually,

we'll see.

But then you start to get into the late 40s, and like these are the guys that are going

to be there anyway, Jake Golday from Cincinnati, the linebacker, he tested really well.

You look at the Dame Brugler list.

There's not a lot of corners between where the packers would be picking and looking.

Now Chris Johnson is one of them.

I think he would have been a packer all day, though, again, short arms.

He was under 31, I think, but did everything you want.

And I think he's going to end up in the first round now, probably 20 would have been

a little high.

Maybe CSA is going to be there at 52.

He could also be a first round pick.

David Sinekbanoz in his 50th on the Dame Brugler list came in under 190, but he was 188, 189.

So he's, you know, a meal at Culver's away from being right where you want him to be,

ran in the four fours, didn't jump great.

Didn't have the kind of athletic profile that you would stamp as a first round player,

probably more like a second round player.

Oh, you mean like right where the packers are probably going to draft.

Dame Brugler has Anthony Hill, Jr. 56 on his top 100.

There are corners then after that Keith Abney, the second we're waiting on testing.

Jacob Rodriguez, well, he was never going to be a first round pick, but now you're,

you're going to probably be in the range at 52 to take it.

All this is to say, I'm not, I'm not really sure.

You're materially changing the pool of players that you're playing in.

If you're the Green Bay Packers by giving up a first round to pick to get Micah Parsons.

Now, there's always the chance someone falls in someone and we, you know, as we stand

here today, we don't know who's going to be the good players and who are going to be the

bad players.

That would make it really easy to do the draft.

And we don't know who's going to be there.

A player that the Packers might have been in love with might, might have been there.

But the way that this draft is structured from like player 15 through 60, there's not

a huge difference.

And that's exactly the kind of draft that you want to give up a first round pick for

a no doubt blue chip all time great player in his prime.

All right, speaking of the draft and all that, let's do a mock draft Monday next.

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All right, we're going to use the NFL mock draft database, which has the consensus board

on it.

And I like the consensus board because it's going to give us a different feel for what everyone

else is thinking versus what just the PFF guys are thinking.

And so I like, I like that position to be in.

So here we are.

Top players on the consensus board available to the packers when they pick at 52, a manual

pregnant interior offensive lineman from Oregon.

I don't think this is at all out of the question for them to take a interior offensive lineman.

And he tested extremely well, a 9.42 relative athletic score 6, 4, 3, 14 broad jump, the

daylights out of it, a 95th percentile broad jump, a 99th percentile vertical jump.

And is right in the line has the long arms, 33 and six, not too tall.

We think two tall might be a thing for the packers 11 in chance.

When you play center, if this were me, I'm going to, I'm going to add my, my two cents

in here.

You can get Anthony Hill Jr. here.

You can get Chris Johnson here.

You can get Chase Byzantis here.

I don't think I'm going to be able to get a corner later.

I also don't think Chris Johnson is actually going to be here, but you just never know.

There are so many ed rushers in this class, so many offensive lineman in this class.

You just don't know.

And I do think it will be a priority for the packers to come out of this draft on day two

with one of the corners.

So I'm going to add my own feeling in here because I just think the, the positional value

is too good to not draft Chris Johnson.

I'm dubious that he will make it.

But again, there's a lot.

There's a lot of really good players, not great players, but good players that are

potentially here in the draft.

So as the packers get a chance to pick in round three, the best players on the board,

LT Overton from Alabama, 63rd on the board.

Kamari Ramsey, safety from USC.

If they want to go receiver, Jeremy Bernard, there's, there's not a lot of great options

here.

Now there are two that I'm looking at Jake slaughter from Florida.

He looks like he is going to do, he's going to do your taxes.

But he's also an experienced player at the University of Florida, a center and a 9.91 unofficial

rather athletic score jumped really, really well showed that explosiveness, 6530310 in

chance, 32 inch arms, ran a 5 140 85th percentile with a 90th percentile 10 yard split.

This is someone who could come in day one, potentially, and be a starter for you.

There's not another player.

I have a corner.

Nick Benosin is here, but I have a corner.

I really like Darrell Jackson Jr. from Florida State.

This is right sort of in the range where I think he's going to go or deserves to go.

But if I can come out of this draft with a potential starting corner and a potential

starting center, I just have to do that.

I just have to do that.

And right now, I love the draft.

We're sitting here now in the fourth round.

Malik Muhammad is the top player on the board.

That's a cornerback.

He's small.

Now this is an interesting one.

Justin, Joe, I don't know if it's Justin, Jolie or Justin, Jolly, sorry, pal, the tight

end from North Carolina State.

And he is someone who is a little bit smaller at six three, but six three and a half 241.

You'd like to see the fact that he would test, but he didn't.

He is a pass catcher type.

And so that's maybe not exactly what I want in this spot.

Michael Trigg though, okay, Michael Trigg, Michael Trigg from Baylor is someone who we

knew coming in was going to really show something athletically.

Unfortunately, he also did not test.

And so that makes this difficult.

Sitting here in the fourth round is Mike Washington, Jr.

He's 118 on the consensus board.

I just, I just don't think that's a thing, frankly, like at all.

But Sam Rausch is further down the board.

He's available both Stevens from Iowa.

He's available.

I think if they're going to reach for someone, it would be a super athlete like Sam Rausch.

He can block.

I'm reaching based on this draft and based on the players available.

But if you came out of this draft at 52 with Chris Johnson, the corner from San Diego

State, who I think could push to start right away, Jake Slaughter, who I just would think

would be your day one center.

And Sam Rausch, who would push to play right away and probably Tucker Crafts not ready

to go week one would push Luke Musgrave to start.

This would be a home run draft.

And as this, as we move through this process, I love the PFF guys.

I love the simulator that they use, but I kind of want to use at least over the next

month, as the new rankings come in, I think that this is just a better proxy for trying

to do this because it's really, I think, a better view of what the consensus on these

players are versus leaning heavy on the PFF stuff.

They got to catch up to because one of the reasons that this happens is the consensus

under scouts, certain players that are not being seen as, you know, the consensus

begets more consensus.

And so if we only talk about 50 players, then the guys after that are getting a short

trip, even though there's some really good players in there.

So I think Mike Washington Jr. is a great example of that.

We just hadn't talked much about it.

Now he blows up the combine.

It's like, well, but the NFL teams knew he was good.

Todd McShay, Daniel Jeremiah, Dave Brugler, they knew he was good.

He's not going to go in round four.

He's going to be a day two, especially in a week running back class.

He's a day two player all day.

If the Packers could get him in round four, it would be a coup for them.

But I love this draft.

I really love the draft the way that it played out.

And I think I want to continue to use this simulator as we move forward here because I like

the idea of using consensus versus PFF.

Apparently, PFF is building the optionality to do that.

If and when they do that, maybe I'll go back.

We'll see.

Back tomorrow, as we move toward all of a sudden for agency is going to start in like a

week.

We're going to have the legal tampering period.

The new league year is going to open, which means stuff's got to start happening here.

Packers, the Packers got to get cap compliant.

The other teams got to get cap compliant, which means players are going to start falling

fast and furious all over the league.

I think we're going to see more trades this week.

We're going to see big name cuts this week.

We're going to see big name players signed after being big name cuts.

So a lot more to get to unlocked on Packers in the offseason.

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