Bears Reject Veteran's Contract Extension Request Again

There’s a lot of excitement surrounding the Chicago Bears heading into this season after the offseason they had. The Bears made substantial progress on offense and kept their defense intact after a strong second half of the 2023 season.

A lot of Chicago’s offensive success will hinge on the offensive line, which wasn’t great last season when they had to protect Justin Fields. 

Speaking of the o-line, Chicago has an interesting financial decision to make this year on Teven Jenkins, who was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Jenkins is entering the last year of his rookie deal and is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Jenkins said in June that his agents reached out to the team about a contract extension and didn’t hear anything from them. The former second-round pick said Monday that his representation was told they’d have to wait until after Chicago’s bye week to restart those talks.

The former Oklahoma State lineman has struggled to stay healthy in his NFL career as he’s started in 24 out of 51 possible games. However, Jenkins has shown that he can be a viable piece on the Bears’ offensive line, switching from tackle to right guard.

It’s not surprising to see the Bears push those talks until October as they also have to figure out what they will do with Keenan Allen. The star wide receiver is in line for an extension too as he’s in the last year of a four-year deal he signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.

That said, if you are Jenkins, this rejection by the Bears should motivate you to show them that you are a key piece on the offensive line and force their hand to pay you a lucrative contract.

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