Connor McGovern free agency news raises the stakes on Titans’ bid for Tyler Linderbaum, bringing a world post-Cushenberry cut into question

The stakes have been raised in free agency as the Titans hunt a new starting center.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Monday marks the unofficial beginning of NFL free agency, when the “Legal Tampering Period ” begins. Deals can’t actually be struck until Wednesday when the starting bell rings officially, but Monday is when teams can (legally) deal with free agents from other teams and come to agreements with one another written in pencil.

But ripples that directly impact free agency start well before Monday, and one of the most interesting markets this year is at center. Surprise cuts have been made, a surprise retirement threw a wrench into Chicago’s plan, an early signing and an early trade preceded the run on free agents, and now one of the two top targets on the market has signed back with his team.

Center needy-teams like the Titans just sat up a little straighter.

With McGovern off the market, are the Titans Linderbaum-or-bust?

The belle of this year’s center ball is Tyler Linderbaum, who increasingly seems to be making an exit from Baltimore. But not far behind him in terms of general desirability was Connor McGovern, who we all felt pretty sure would be making his way out of Buffalo. Why? Because he told the Athletic just recently that he’d gotten zero word from GM Brandon Beane’s office and felt himself like it was over.

I guess Beane finally decided to reach out! Because on Saturday, McGovern signed a 4yr/$52 million contract to return to the Bills.

This thinning of the center market raises the stakes tremendously on teams like the Titans who were expected to be bidding on both McGovern and Linderbaum at the top of the market. Now the gap between the top option and the consolation prizes feels much more significant.

The fact the McGovern signed back with the Bills isn’t the only surprising part. That he only got $13 million AAV is just as shocking. He was being talked about as guy who would come in between $15-$20m AAV, just behind Linderbaum. Now, his new contract makes him the third highest paid center in the league, pending Linderbaum making him the fourth.

But is Linderbaum really about to get in the neighborhood of $10 million more per year than McGovern? That’s where his market has not-so-subtly been set in the press by folks behind the scenes. Perhaps that projection was just as wrong as McGovern’s proved to be, but frankly, McGovern signing early may be what ultimately ensures Linderbaum really does make that much. Because the competition for him is under as much pressure now as ever.

The Titans have ample cap space to compete with the most generous suitors in the league, but their claim to having the most cap space this cycle has been snatched by the now Geno-less and Crosby-less Raiders. I’d bet they are the leaders in the clubhouse to lure Linderbaum away from Baltimore and other teams like the Titans in the end.

It would be understandable to suddenly feel like Tennessee is now Linderbaum-or-bust. But what do their options look like if they don’t shell out the biggest overpay for him?

Well, as I mentioned post-Combine (later officially reported by Paul Kuharsky), the Titans plan on signing a veteran option at center this spring. They don’t expect to be rolling into the fall with a rookie there. So in free agency, this means they will be left shopping in the Cade Mays and Ethan Pocic section. This tier of options is multiple steps down from Linderbaum and at least one step down from McGovern, and you can bet it will raise some questions about whether the Titans’ new center is actually all that much better than Lloyd Cushenberry would have been as a “year after the year” guy with his achilles.

It’s important to point out that the decision to move off of Cushenberry could have been just as much identity and individual strengths-driven as it was talent-driven. Who the Titans end up with, if it’s not Linderbaum, may provide a clue on that front. Cushenberry is a mid-sized center with average athleticism who is a better pass blocker than he is a run blocker. The profile of their next center could be a clue as to what they want this new Brian Daboll offense to be if it’s a good deal different from Cushenberry.

Regardless, signing somebody from this group brings young competition firmly into play too. 2025 rookie Jackson Slater is somebody to watch at all interior OL positions, as he’s been developing behind the scenes in a versatile manner. An early Day 3 draft pick could also be on the table, but I don’t see a Day 2 pick being used on center considering needs, value, and the strength of this class at the position. Finally, signing Corey Levin back once again will become much more of a priority in this scenario. He filled in at center so admirably this past season that he should be brought back and, if Linderbaum isn’t acquired, at least given a chance to compete for the job.

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