The Jacksonville Jaguars will be working with a long to-do list this offseason. Aside from finding a way to keep their pending free agents from leaving, they'll need to bolster several position groups. The good news is that the salary cap just got a $20 million increase, so the Jags may be able to retain one or two players they were planning to release.
On top of that, general manager James Gladstone still has plenty of selections in the later rounds even though Jacksonville gave up its first-round pick in 2026 to trade up for Travis Hunter last year. This is a long-winded way to say that the front office will have no shortage of ways to address the larger scale roster.
And precisely because Gladstone showed that he's not afraid to make trades, nobody will bat an eye if he gets a handful of deals done in the upcoming moves. Having said that, the Jaguars should probably pass on a pitch an NFL analyst recently made.
The Jaguars are being urged to trade for Packers OG Elgton Jenkins
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report recently drew up a list of trade targets for each NFL team and suggested the Jaguars acquire Elgton Jenkins, noting that he would give their interior offensive line a massive boost. Here's the skinny.
"The Jaguars could stand to upgardes both their center and right guard positions," Ballentine wrote. "Robert Hainsey and Patrick Mekari are fine, but not assets. The need for an interior trio remodel could be even worse if Ezra Cleveland is not retained."
Ballentine continued, "Elgton Jenkins has been a fixer on the offensive line throughout his career. His ability to play all five positions if needed has been huge. However, a contract dispute last spring combined with an unwelcomed move to center and a season-ending injury could make him available. The Jags would be wise to at least check out the situation there."
A second-round pick in the 2019 draft, Jenkins has spent his whole NFL career with the Packers. As Ballentine noted, he's lined up at all spots across the offensive line but truly hit his stride at left guard, posting a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 81.6 as recently as 2024.
However, the Packers moved Jenkins to center last year. He skipped a good chunk of the offseason in order to get a raise that would protect him from the contract uncertainty that came with the switch. The former Mississippi State Bulldog eventually joined his team. However, he didn't fare particularly well, and his season came to a screeching halt when he suffered an ankle injury in Week 10.
Jenkins still has one year left on the extension he signed in 2023. The Packers could free up $20 million in space if they release him but may want to place him on the trade block first to see if a team in need of help in the trenches makes a push for him.
Related: 5 players the Jags won't spare even after the hike in the salary cap
Why the Jaguars may pass on trading for Elgton Jenkins
There's no doubt that Elgton Jenkins will bounce back if he switches back to his familiar left guard spot. That said, the Jaguars have bigger priorities than beefing up their interior offensive line. Granted, the trio of Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, and Patrick Mekari isn't great, but they aren't dreadful either. The fact that all three will spend at least another season together should help them play even better than last year.
Sure, Jenkins would be an upgrade over Cleveland, but he would also be more expensive. If the Jaguars traded for him, they would need to adjust his contract, and the veteran hog molly would probably have to take a pay cut (while getting guarantees on his current deal). That may not be something he'll embrace.
On the other hand, trading for him wouldn't require a big haul, so it would make sense to inquire about him if the Jags cut ties with Cleveland, who's also entering the last year of his rookie deal. Having said that, there are no signs they are planning to move on from him.
The truth is that Elgton Jenkins would be a welcome addition on the Jacksonville offensive line. Don't rule out a trade for him just yet, but don't get your hopes too high, as cornerback, defensive tackle, and the pass rush are bigger needs for the Jaguars.