Even though Seven Jenkins is entering the final year of his rookie contract with the Chicago Bears in 2024, his goals for the future have remained unchanged from the day the team selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.
“I’ve wanted to be a Bear for a long time,” Jenkins told 670 The Score in an interview on May 9.
Jenkins, who turned 26 in March, might be the Bears’ most important free agent of the 2025 offseason. While injuries limited him in his first three seasons, he has developed into a formidable run-blocker for their offensive line and is versatile enough to start at either guard position, making him one of their top frontline assets.
Right now, though, Jenkins understands he is playing “the waiting game” with Chicago. The Bears are likely going to want to see if he can play an entire season without injuries before rushing into discussions about a possible contract extension. In the meantime, Jenkins will focus on the task at hand: taking the next step and leading the O-line room.
“What I got from my agent, we had to wait until after the draft, is all I know,” Jenkins said about contract talks with the Bears. “We’re going to try to reach out to them here soon, but right now, we’re playing the waiting game. I want to be a Bear for a long time. I still do. That has not changed since I’ve been drafted. But we’re going to see how things unfold and how things play out and just take it day by day.
Right now, though, Jenkins understands he is playing “the waiting game” with Chicago. The Bears are likely going to want to see if he can play an entire season without injuries before rushing into discussions about a possible contract extension. In the meantime, Jenkins will focus on the task at hand: taking the next step and leading the O-line room.
“What I got from my agent, we had to wait until after the draft, is all I know,” Jenkins said about contract talks with the Bears. “We’re going to try to reach out to them here soon, but right now, we’re playing the waiting game. I want to be a Bear for a long time. I still do. That has not changed since I’ve been drafted. But we’re going to see how things unfold and how things play out and just take it day by day.
“I’m just going to try to be a great leader for the O-line room and a great player for the team.”
Bears Lack Succession Plan if Teven Jenkins Departs
The Bears will have legitimate questions about Jenkins’ long-term value heading into the 2024 season. He flourished into a competent starting guard last season and showed potential to develop into a Pro Bowl player, but he has missed 20 total games over his first three seasons and remains a major injury concern moving forward. Without clear improvement this year, it will be difficult to justify paying him top-10 guard money.
The problem for the Bears, in terms of negotiations, is they do not have a succession plan in place for Jenkins if they are unable or unwilling to sign him to a new deal.
The Bears released Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick during the 2024 offseason, leaving 2022 seventh-round pick Ja’Tyre Carter as their sole returning guard other than Jenkins and fellow starter Nate Davis. They recruited three guards — Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton, and youngster Kiran Amegadjie — but Bates and Shelton are expected to compete for the center position, while Amegadjie will start as a swing tackle.
Davis might possibly be a concern. He did not always meet expectations in his debut season with Chicago in 2023, surrendering only one sack but a team-high seven quarterback hits and a third-round 29 pressures in 384 pass-blocking snaps. He also missed six games this season, including five because of a high ankle.
