From benched and contemplating an uncertain future to having the security of a long-term deal and the Packers’ starting center job, Sean Rhyan looks ahead after a ‘wild year’

GREEN BAY — Sean Rhyan thought he was done in Titletown.

“Oh, yeah!” the Green Bay Packers starting center confessed during the offseason program. “What a wild year it was last year. From bottom to top.”

Rhyan can look back on that year and smile now. He has a new three-year, $33 million contract — a deal that included an $11 million guaranteed up-front signing bonus and could be worth up to $39 million — and appears to have found a home at center after playing left tackle in college at UCLA, playing only one snap on special teams as a rookie third-round pick in 2022 (and drawing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances), not making a single start in 2023, and starting all 18 games (including playoffs) in 2024 at right guard only to lose his starting gig early last season.

“Man, if you told me that I would be here with a second contract about a year ago,” Rhyan said with a grin, “I would have said, ‘You must have some crystal ball that I don’t know about.’”

After starting the first four games of last season, Rhyan rotated at right guard with 2024 first-round draft pick Jordan Morgan during the first half of an Oct. 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals at Lambeau Field. But after playing 11 snaps in the first half of that game, Rhyan ceded the job to Morgan during the second half and only played on the field-goal protection thereafter.

The following week at Arizona, Morgan played right guard the entire game while Rhyan’s only action was again on special teams.

Rhyan went back to rotating with Morgan the next week at Pittsburgh, then took over for an injured Aaron Banks at left guard the week after that against Carolina, but he was back on the bench again the next week against Philadelphia — until center Elgton Jenkins went down with what wound up being a season-ending broken leg.

From there, Rhyan started the next seven games at center — plus the team’s season-ending playoff loss to the Chicago Bears — and proved capable enough that the Packers moved on from Jenkins and signed Rhyan to the new deal to be the man in the middle of their offensive line.

“It’s just been so much emotion just flooding every [year],” Rhyan said of his journey. “My rookie year, that whole thing — bam! Second year, just kind of going. Third year, cool. [Last] year, another curveball. Being able to come out on the other end of it, it’s unreal. I guess it just goes to show that dedication and belief go a long way.”

Rhyan has also managed to gain some converts in the process, turning the coaches into believers, too.

“When we lost Elgton, he stepped up and just took control of it,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. “There were mistakes, for sure, but as we progressed through the season, he just kept getting better and better and better. And I thought, maybe his best position is to play center in the NFL. So it was good to watch him out there take command of the offense, making the calls and doing, getting us set up front. It was good to see.”

Added offensive line coach Luke Butkus: “I’m so excited for Sean. His journey to get to where he’s at, it’s paying off for him. We’ve all been around Sean, we know what kind of guy he is. I’m’ excited because I think his best football is ahead of him — and he does, too. And he’s going to continue to improve every day.”

And there certainly is room for improvement. Rhyan’s 58.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season ranked 31st out of the 40 centers the site graded, and his marks were especially low in pass protection (36.8 — dead last among the 40 graded centers) and middle-of-the-pack as a run blocker (66.7 — 17th).

But given what he endured to get to this point, it’s hard to bet against him.

“Looking back on it, I still am kind of [amazed by] how level-headed I was able to stay,” Rhyan said. “I don’t know [why]. I think it’s stemming from the way I was brought up and the work ethic that was kind of instilled through me through rugby, baseball, shot [put], football, all the way up until now. I think that was a big factor in me being able to not really tank.

“Because I was in a [expletive] terrible position to be in last year. But my mindset was just built strong, I guess.”

About our “Most Important Packers of 2026” Series:  When the Packers kick off their eighth training camp under head coach Matt LaFleur on July 29, they’ll do so with a host of players facing pivotal seasons. LaFleur clearly believes he has ample talent to be a Super Bowl contender — and felt that way about last year’s team until an avalanche of injuries to key players ultimately took its toll — but turning that belief into reality will require a host of players to elevate their games (and stay healthy).

This series, which began in 2010 on ESPNWisconsin.com, examines each of those players and how the team’s success hinges on their contributions. It factors in not only their individual importance but also the innate importance of the position and the depth the team has — or lacks — at the position they play. The list is compiled with input from team observers, former players and NFL sources.

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