The Green Bay Packers have an All-Pro center about to hit free agency.
Corey Linsley, a fifth-round pick of the Packers in 2014, enjoyed his finest season as a professional in 2020, earning first-team All-Pro honors as the center of the NFL’s No. 1 ranked scoring offense.
Linsley has started the last seven seasons for the Packers at center. His current contract will expire next month, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Here’s the case for and against the Packers re-signing Linsley:
The case for
Linsley might be the most reliable center in football. His season grades at Pro Football Focus compare favorably with the best in the game over the past seven seasons. This season was his crown jewel. Over 13 regular season games in 2020, he allowed just a single sack and didn’t commit a penalty while producing the top run-blocking grade and third-best pass-blocking grade at his position at PFF. He rightfully earned All-Pro honors.
Linsley might turn 30 in July, but he’s aged well, especially within Matt LaFleur’s scheme. Always sound in pass protection, he’s transformed into a true asset in the run game, displaying quickness and technique on reach blocks and combo blocks in the zone run scheme.
Linsley is highly trusted by Aaron Rodgers to help set protections, ward off blitzes and get the Packers into the right looks pre-snap. That chemistry between center and quarterback is valuable.
Overall, the Packers were arguably the best pass-blocking offensive line in football in 2020. Letting Linsley go would hurt Green Bay’s chances of repeating the feat in 2021. Finally, he’s both tough on the field and a true representative of the franchise off it. He’s exactly the kind of player and person you want in your offensive line room and locker room.
The case against
Linsley is almost 30, has battled through back and knee injuries recently and plays a low-value position, and the Packers have in-house replacements and precious little cap space. Linsley exited a handful of games and missed three games with injuries in 2020, and the Packers handled the shuffle just fine. Elgton Jenkins, a second-round pick in 2019, could easily move to center and be a Pro Bowl caliber player. Lucas Patrick also has experience at the position, and the team developed sixth-round pick Jake Hanson all year on the practice squad.
The Packers have to shed a bunch of salaries just to get under the projected salary cap before the start of the new league year next month, so a third contract for a center is probably low on the team’s priority list. Would they love to have him back? Absolutely. Can they spend on Linsley and still fit all the puzzle pieces together? That’s a tough sell. If he signs elsewhere, a compensatory pick in 2022 is likely.
Projection: Departs in free agency
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