In a twist on the saying, the Green Bay Packers gave the money and ran. Locking up Sean Rhyan to a three-year, $33 million extension on Sunday looks like a massive bargain now after the center market exploded during the opening of free agency on Monday.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, "former Ravens free-agent center Tyler Linderbaum reached [an] agreement today on a record deal with the Raiders, who are awarding him with a three-year, $81 million deal that includes $60 million guaranteed and makes him the highest paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history."
That's massive money for a center. Perhaps Tom Brady's influence had to do with the obscenely high price tag for a position that often goes for $12 million on the low end for a veteran, to $18 million on the high end. The Las Vegas Raiders now have a more expensive center than their left tackle, Kolton Miller, who is on a three-year, $66 million contract extension that includes $42.5 million in guaranteed money. That's not how you build a sustainable roster.
Peak underneath the hood for a bit with Rhyan's deal, and you could see Brian Gutekunst's vision. Rhyan has a pre-June 1 cut date next season that gives the Packers $5.3 million in cap savings and only $7.3 million in dead money. If Rhyan isn't working out, Green Bay has the draft to address those issues.
Sean Rhyan Brings Enough Value to Justify Packers' Flexibile Overpay
Was Rhyan an overpay? Probably. He ranked 40th out of 40 centers in pass blocking based on Pro Football Focus' grades in 2025. Rewarding that heavily was bold. The Packers don't have an abundance of cap space and are seemingly gearing up for major defensive upgrades to account for Micah Parsons missing the first portion of the 2026 season.
Rhyan brings some value via versatility. He's playable across the interior offensive line, having come into the league as a guard. Even at the center spot, he was able to give up zero sacks this past season.
In a league that's starting to see some record numbers at positions you don't typically see high-priced contracts handed out, Rhyan is not the worst investment you'll see this offseason. If he turns out to be a misfire, the cost to undo the mistake won't be severe. Realistically, it'll be Gutekunst's hypothetical successor who'd have to fix that problem anyway.
Rhyan's deal is a moderate risk, but there's a clear reward. We'll see what side of the coin the Packers are on this fall.