Brian Gutekunst Makes Abundantly Clear $9.5 Million Decision on Aaron Banks

INDIANAPOLIS – In free agency last offseason, the Green Bay Packers handed Aaron Banks a four-year, $77 million contract, setting the wheels in motion to move Elgton Jenkins to center.

Banks’ first season in Green Bay was a disappointment, leading to a big fork in the contractual road. The league-year begins on March 11. On the third day of it, the Packers either have to pay Banks a $9.5 million roster bonus or release him.

Will the Packers pay it?

“I wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine on Tuesday.

It doesn’t get much clearer than that, even if the jury is out on the signing.

Banks’ $19.25 million average ranks seventh among guards. After playing for relative peanuts last season with a $1.5 million base salary, Banks is scheduled to earn a $7.7 million base salary in 2026. Along with the $9.5 million roster bonus, $500,000 in per-game roster bonuses and a $400,000 workout bonus, Banks is poised to earn $18.9 million in cash during the upcoming season.

Combined with the proration of the $27 million signing bonus, Banks’ cap charge for the season is $24.79 million. That’s third among guards behind Dallas’ Tyler Smith ($27.5 million), a Pro Bowler each of the last three years, and the Falcons’ Chris Lindstrom ($26.25 million), a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro each of the last four years.

Aaron Banks Fell Short of Expectations

Banks played nowhere close to a Pro Bowl level in 2025. While he started 14 games – one of the games he did not start was Week 18 against the Vikings – injuries slowed him during the season. He missed time early in training camp with a back injury, then was inactive for Week 2 (ankle and groin) and Week 4 (groin).

Overall, his season was inconsistent, though he generally played better as the season progressed. He turned in a strong game in the wild-card loss to Chicago.

After allowing a sack in Week 3 against Cleveland, he allowed only one more the rest of the season. However, of 63 guards who played at least 500 snaps, Banks ranked 57th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency, which combines sacks, hits and hurries allowed per pass-protecting snap. The run game was 0.19 yards per snap better when he was on the field, according to league data.

“Aaron Banks, he really hasn’t missed much time in his career,” Gutekunst said earlier in the month. “Some of the things he went through were unexpected. I really thought he played well toward the end of the season once he got healthy.”

Assuming Gutekunst sticks to his word on Banks, who will line up next to the team’s left guard?

At left tackle, three-year starter Rasheed Walker is set to hit free agency. The Packers almost certainly will let him go and hand the job to Jordan Morgan, their first-round pick from 2024.

At center, Jenkins, like Banks, has a massive payday coming with an $18.5 million base salary. Jenkins missed the second half of the season and was replaced by Sean Rhyan, who is set to join Walker in free agency.

Jenkins’ future with the team appears far more tenuous.

“I thought he was playing pretty well,” Gutekunst said of Jenkins. “Obviously, the move to center certainly was to help the Packers and to help him, as well, and him getting hurt, really, I think we lost a lot of veteran leadership there when he went out, so that was difficult.”

If the Packers release Jenkins, who is entering his final season under contract, they’d save more than $19.5 million against the cap.

Finding Cap Relief in Aaron Banks’ Contract

If the Packers choose to not pay Banks’ roster bonus, they’d absorb $20.25 million in dead cap but save $4.54 million on this year’s cap.

The more likely option on Banks’ contract will be to turn that roster bonus into signing bonus. That $9.5 million can then be prorated over the remaining three years of the contract, resulting in $6.33 million in cap savings for 2026 but at the cost of an additional $3.17 million on Banks’ cap number in 2027 (which is $22.25 million) and 2028 (which is $20.75 million).

Even more savings can be created by cutting his $7.7 million base salary to the league minimum and turning the difference into signing bonus.

That would kick the financial decision down the road to this time next year, when there’s another $9.5 million roster bonus pending.

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