The Bears and left guard Teven Jenkins both sound ready to move on, and Jenkins said Monday he was mentally prepared to leave as an unrestricted free agent in March.
Jenkins, a second-round pick in 2021, has not had any significant discussions with the team about a contract extension. The Bears wanted to see if he could get past nagging injuries that have hindered him throughout his career, and Jenkins missed the final two games with a calf injury. He played 14 games, often missing time within games, and 65% of the offensive snaps.
He called it a “toss up” on whether he wants to return or find a new team.
“Been through a lot of things here: My daughter was born here, I got a house here — it’s like a [home] for me,” Jenkins said during locker cleanout at Halas Hall. “I wanted to stay.
“But the opposite side of that is I get a fresh start, new narrative, see if I can be who I want to be and see where I can go from there.”
Jenkins was one of the Bears’ best o-linemen when healthy, but played just 45 of a possible 68 games in four seasons.
Former general manager Ryan Pace drafted Jenkins to be a cornerstone at left tackle, but Ryan Poles didn’t agree when he took over in 2022. Against his wishes, Jenkins moved to right tackle, then guard that offseason.
“It’s always a challenge,” Jenkins said. “But [leaving] was not going to make me better as a person, better as a player. So I just wanted to stay here and see if I could battle through what’s going on, and I battled the whole noise, too.”
Poles goes into the offseason needing to make major renovations on the offensive line and could replace every starter except for right tackle Darnell Wright. Wright could move as well, possibly to left tackle, depending on who the Bears draft or sign.