A year after watching two of their linemen walk in free agency, the Packers are retaining an important one for the near future.
Green Bay signed center Corey Linsley to a contract extension, the team announced Saturday. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported it's a three-year extension worth $25.5 million.
Linsley, a fourth-year center out of Ohio State, is one start from completing his first full season since his rookie campaign of 2014. He's emerged as Green Bay's anchor at center after bouncing in and out of the lineup last season, splitting time with J.C. Tretter, who left for Cleveland in March. At $8.5 million per year, Linsley's new deal lands him among the top nine centers in annual pay, but is still a far cry from the $10.34 million Jacksonville's Brandon Linder is making after his five-year extension, signed in July.
The extension is the second in as many days for the Packers, who have clearly made retaining key talent a priority well before the thick of the offseason arrives. Green Bay also locked up receiver Davante Adams on Friday to the tune of four years and $58 million.
