A former Green Bay Packers All-Pro player is set to retire from the league following a health scare discovered in the 2023 season. The move came after a successful decade in the league with two teams.
Aaron Rodgers had great protection with the Green Bay Packers
In recent years, the Packers have had some impressive late-round draft picks step up to protect Aaron Rodgers and now Jordan Love. David Bakhtiari was taken in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft and earned several All-Pro nominations.
Center Corey Linsley overachieved in his career after the Packers selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Linsley earned 99 starts in his eight seasons with the Packers. He started in another 33 games with the Los Angeles Chargers when the three-time team captain protected rising star Justin Hebert.
Corey Linsley had to sit last season
Unfortunately for Linsley, he only played three games last season after it was discovered he had a medical issue. Per the Chargers website, Linsley told reporters in January he was likely going to retire this offseason:
“After my last appointment, I met with a specialist whose entire career is on this particular portion of the heart,” Linsley said. “His advice was to stop playing. 99 percent sure that’s what’s going to happen.”
The Los Angeles Chargers celebrated Linsley’s career
Per a statement by the Chargers, the team announced they were releasing Linsley and celebrated his career in anticipation of his retirement:
Linsley, a three-year team captain for the Bolts, was the Chargers’ 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee for his work in the community, particularly with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
He was regarded as the best center in football when he joined Los Angeles in 2021, earning Pro Bowl recognition and second-team All-Pro honors from The Associated Press in his first season with the Bolts. Linsley led the line that year to protect quarterback Justin Herbert to his first Pro Bowl selection along with setting single-season franchise records in completions (443), passing yards (5,014) and passing touchdowns (38).
Linsley had a great career on the field. But he was also a cherished person in the locker room.
John Spanos, Chargers president of football operations, said Linsley was everything he hoped for as a player:
“Corey is everything you hope for and more in an NFL player,” Spanos said. “The consummate professional, his mentorship of younger players, work ethic, integrity, leadership, competitive drive and sense of humor all played a role in earning him the ‘C’ on his jersey throughout the entirety of his time with us. And as good of a football player as he is, Corey’s an even better person.
