Green Bay Packers: Is 2020 Corey Linsley’s Last Season in Titletown?

The Green Bay Packers have some difficult free-agent decisions to make in 2021 and that could leave Corey Linsley on the outside looking in.

Although we still have the 2020 NFL season to be played, looking ahead to the Green Bay Packers’ 2021 offseason, there are going to be some difficult decisions that have to be made when it comes to some of their soon to be free agents. That means there is the very real possibility that Corey Linsley may be in his final season here in Titletown.

Next offseason the Packers have several key players who are going to be free agents. This group includes the aforementioned Linsley, along with Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari, Kevin King, and Aaron Jones. Realistically Green Bay isn’t going to be able to re-sign all five of these players and depending on your thought process, I”m guessing in terms of priority, Linsley is anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 on this list.

Since taking over as a rookie in 2014, Linsley has been a rock-solid center for the Green Bay Packers. Over his six seasons, he has played in 100 percent of the offensive snaps three different seasons and nearly 90 percent in a fourth.

According to Pro Football Focus, during Linsley’s first four NFL seasons, he would record 2,595 pass-blocking attempts during that span and he would allow just eight sacks and eight quarterback hits. He’s been very good pre-snap as well, making sure that the rest of the offensive line knows what the defense is doing and of course, his relationship with Aaron Rodgers is superb.

However, it’s worth pointing out that while Linsley allowed just eight sacks his first four seasons, he has allowed nine the last two, along with five additional quarterback hits. On the flip side, although credited, not all of those sacks may be his complete fault as there has been some shakey guard play next to him the past two years. This means more responsibilities for Linsley.

His current three year deal – which this is the last year of – pays him an average annual value of $8.5 million. And considering that Linsley will only be 30-years-old during the 2021 season, along with the overall performance during his career, and the fact that it isn’t easy finding high-level offensive line play, his new contract could very well end up in that price range once again.

But for a Green Bay Packers team who has some internal options on the roster, some other high-profile free agents as I’ve mentioned, and of course, other needs that they’ll inevitably have to fill in 2021, is Linsley just simply going to cost too much?

Well, I think that might be the case.

If Linsley does end up elsewhere in 2021, as of now the Packers have two realistic options to take his place. Lucas Patrick and Jake Hanson.

Patrick provides Green Bay with some versatility inside as he’s able to play center or guard and although his playing time has been limited, he’s been able to show that he can be counted on to play here and there when needed.

In the last three seasons, Patrick has taken 437 pass-blocking snaps at either guard or center and he has allowed two sacks, eight hits, 13 hurries, and he’s been called for three penalties. In fact, the Packers would reward Patrick with a contract extension last December.

However, the big question that remains with him is, how will he perform as a full-time starter and would he be exposed over a 16 game season? At the moment, we just don’t know.

Then there is sixth-round rookie, Jake Hanson who had an excellent career at Oregon. Hanson is about as experienced of a rookie as we will see in today’s NFL with 49 starts during his four-year career and he didn’t allow a single sack during his first three seasons which spanned 2,738 pass-blocking snaps. In 2019 he would give up his first two sacks but he didn’t allow any additional hits on his quarterback.

While initially relying on a Day 3 pick to protect your franchise quarterback may not seem like a path that the Packers would go down, keep in mind that at one time Linsley was a fifth-round rookie starting for this team in 2014. Not to mention that he didn’t have the benefit of sitting for a season and learning the position at the NFL level like Hanson will.

So the good news is that if the Green Bay Packers do in fact decide to move on from Linsley after this season, they have a few internal options already on the roster that can take his place. But with a quarterback that turns 38 in 2021 and likes to hold on to the ball, along with an inexperienced and young backup behind him who will take over as the starter within the next few seasons, is cutting costs on the offensive line the best route to go?

Well, that’s the million-dollar question and my initial reaction to that question is that no, that isn’t the best decision. Especially doing so a year after letting Bryan Bulaga walk in free agency which has left some major uncertainty at the right tackle position this season.

Ultimately it comes down to how well Linsley continues to play, what his new contract will cost, and the development of Patrick and Hanson. Chances are with either one of those players there is going to be a drop-off in talent, but if it’s minimal, then moving on from Linsley makes sense.

However, as I just said, we still have to see how a few things play out in 2020 but don’t be surprised if this is Linsley’s last season in the Green and Gold.