GEELONG has bolted from nowhere to secure the services of Adelaide key forward Josh Jenkins on the final day of the Telstra AFL Trade Period.

The Cats also gained a future third-round selection (on-traded from Gold Coast), while the Crows received pick 37 (on-traded from Essendon).

AFL.com.au reported on Tuesday afternoon Geelong officials were considering adding Jenkins to help bolster the forward line, which was exposed when Tom Hawkins was suspended for the preliminary final loss to Richmond.

Jenkins, 30, still had two years to run on his Adelaide contract, but was willing to take a pay cut to join Geelong.

Former Crows teammate and current Cats superstar midfielder Patrick Dangerfield is believed to have pushed for Jenkins to join the club.

"Josh will give us added depth and experience as a tall option," Geelong list manager Stephen Wells said.

"He has been a very good player for the Crows, and he is looking forward to making a strong contribution for the Cats in the coming years."

The addition of Jenkins means Geelong's forward line has changed considerably since 2017, with Gary Rohan, Gryan Miers and Tom Atkins also contributing to a transformed attack.

Esava Ratugolea has also started to hit his straps as a key forward, leading to an intriguing puzzle as to how the Cats juggle three big men in their forward line.

After years as an established best-22 player, Jenkins struggled to hold his spot in the side in 2019 as the Crows failed to make finals for a second consecutive year.

He played 11 AFL games in 2019, spending the last month of the season in the SANFL.

Jenkins has represented the Crows on 147 occasions, booting 296 goals in that time, including five seasons of at least 40 goals.

Geelong also added St Kilda midfielder Jack Steven in the Trade Period, with second-string ruckman Zac Smith returning to Gold Coast.