Chargers release center Corey Linsley ahead of expected retirement

On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Chargers released center Corey Linsley ahead of the lineman’s expected retirement. Linsley has played 10 seasons in the NFL and spent the last three as a team captain for the Chargers. In February, the former Ohio State Buckeyes star agreed to a contract restructure which lowered his base salary of $11.5 million to $1.2 million in anticipation of his retirement.

Despite having another two years left on his contract, it appears Linsley is ready to hang up his cleats ahead of Year 11. A 2021 Pro Bowler, the 32-year-old lineman earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2020 and Second-Team All-Pro honors in 2021.

“While he has taken his last snap in the NFL, Corey’s story is far from being written,” Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos said.

Linsley entered the league in 2014 as a member of the Green Bay Packers after earning All-Big Ten honors as a senior. The Packers drafted him with the No. 161 overall selection in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He played seven seasons with Green Bay before hitting the free agency market for the first time in his career ahead of the 2021 season.

The Chargers signed Linsley to a five-year deal for $62.5 million, which made him the league’s highest-paid center at the time. He had previously signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract extension with the Packers at the end of his rookie deal.

Linsley joins Billy Price in retirement

Linsley joins several other big-name offensive linemen in retirement this offseason. Among the group is another former Buckeye. Billy Price announced his retirement from football last month due to his health.

Price was a first-round selection by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2018 NFL Draft. He made 45 career starts at center across 69 games combined with the Bengals, New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals.

During his NFL career, Price spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints during the 2022 and 2023 offseasons and most recently was with the Dallas Cowboys during 2023, but did not play.

In college, Price was a part of the 2014 Ohio State Buckeyes squad that won the first-ever College Football Playoff. As a senior in 2017, Price won the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the best center in the country that season. He was selected as a unanimous First-Team All-American. He went on to be named to the PFWA All-Rookie team after his first season with the Bengals, who drafted him No. 21 overall in 2018.