Latest news with #Aaron Banks
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Packers veteran makes ‘confident' claim despite long-term financial concerns
This offseason, the Green Bay Packers decided for veteran offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins to switch from left guard to center. With the Packers gearing up for the 2025 NFL season, Jenkins spoke about the change he's adapting to during camp and preseason. Green Bay signed former 49ers left guard Aaron Banks to a four-year, $77 million deal in free agency, prompting Jenkins to move to center. Nonetheless, with the change in position comes the financial concerns, as it could be seen as a center for the foreseeable future rather than a left guard. Over the Cap's (h/t The Athletic) list of the 10 highest-paid players at each position shows that top left guards average $14.7 million annually, while centers come in at $11.25 million. As a result, it came as no surprise when Jenkins said on Monday that he considered how changing positions could affect him financially during the offseason. Nonetheless, with the 2025 NFL season around the corner, the 29-year-old is putting the team first and putting his financial concerns on hold for now. MORE:Packers' $5 million former third-rounder predicted to be 'the guy' for Jordan Love 'Right now, I'm just focused on the season going forward, just being able to perform for the team and just getting our O-line right, our offense right, so we can be better this year than we were last year,' Jenkins said. 'Right now, I'm not even thinking about that. … Been playing this game for 20-some years, seven years in the league. I'm very confident in my ability and what I can do. The financial side, I know that's going to come.' Jenkins doesn't have to worry about his contract situation just yet; he's signed with the Packers through 2026. Still, it makes sense that he's thinking about his long-term financial future. He'll be 32 when he hits free agency in 2027, and if he stays healthy, that next deal could be the last big contract of his career. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out long-term, but for now, it's all about helping the Packers win the AFC North and make a deep playoff run.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
49ers superstar may have spilled the beans on new starter along offensive line
The San Francisco 49ers will have a new starting left guard this season, and tight end George Kittle may have announced who it's going to be. Aaron Banks, a 2021 second-round pick, held down the starting left guard job for the last three seasons. He signed a four-year, $77 million contract with the Green Bay Packers in free agency and opened a vacancy on San Francisco's offensive line. There's presumably going to be a battle for that starting LG job between last year's backup Ben Bartch and former starting right guard Spencer Burford. That may still be the case, but Kittle only specified one name while talking to the Athletic's Vic Tafur about some of the team's key departures from the offseason. "Deebo will always be amazing and Aaron played really well for us," Kittle told Tafur at the American Century Championship. "But I am excited about Ben Bartch because I love him as a guy. I am just looking forward to guys taking advantage of the opportunities — because there are a lot of them. We have a lot of weapons on offense — we even have one at left tackle in Trent Williams — and we should still be able to score points.' It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Bartch winds up starting considering how well he acquitted himself in brief action last year. Perhaps Kittle did only name him because of a friendship between the pair. However, Bartch appears to be the frontrunner for the job going into camp and Kittle may have let slip that there's no battle anticipated at left guard. Bartch re-signed with San Francisco this offseason on a one-year, $1.3 million deal with the club. He will be entering his sixth season after joining the NFL in 2020 as a fourth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars out of Saint John's University in Minnesota. In five seasons he has played in 49 games with 22 starts. He has two starts since signing with San Francisco midway through the 2023 campaign. Both of those came last season. His 2024 season was cut short by a high ankle sprain, but it appears Bartch will have a chance to redeem himself as the 49ers' starting left guard this article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers depth chart: Ben Bartch may be new starting LG per George Kittle
