Chargers Daily Links: ESPN gives Linsley signing a ‘B-’

When it was reported that the Chargers agreed to terms on a deal for former Packers All-Pro Corey Linsley, you could hear a collective “Hallelujah!” from the entire fan base as the franchise locked down the best center in the NFL from a season ago.

It was also likely the best move the team could have made outside of signing Trent Williams or Joe Thuney. But was it celebrated in the same way by the media?

Jeremy Fowler and two others of ESPN have been hard at work grading each of the NFL’s top free agent deals and they seemed to be a bit reserved on the contract handed out to Linsley by the Bolts.

“No doubt, Linsley fills a major need for the Chargers, who must invest in protection for second-year quarterback Justin Herbert and absolutely have to improve their run blocking. They ranked last in ESPN’s run block win rate metric and second to last in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric last season. Going all out for a center made sense as a plan for the Chargers, and did they ever.”

Linsley’s contract will pay hime a guaranteed salary of $4 million in 2021 with a $13 million signing bonus. He’ll earn $17 million this upcoming season before his cap hit drops to $9 million in 2022. Fowler and company make it sound like the deal may go sour after one year, meaning they could be out $17 million for a single year of Linsley, but that sounds so far away from the realm of reality that I don’t fully understand their reserved nature regarding the contract. He’s the best player at a pivotal position on the field. It was worth every penny, in my opinion.

Now for today’s links.

Chargers News:

Chargers officially sign Corey Linsley and Matt Feiler (Chargers.com)

How the Chargers can replace Rayshawn Jenkins (Chargers Wire)

Best Twitter reactions to the Corey Linsley signing (Chargers.com)

The Chargers make the most sense for a Zach Ertz trade (Bolt Beat)

NFL News:

NFL free agent rumor tracker (ESPN)

Younghoe Koo speaks out on rise of crimes against Asian-Americans (ESPN)

Where the top-10 remaining free agents could end up (CBS Sports)

Teams are inquiring about Gardner Minshew (Bleacher Report)

Hasaan Reddick is signing with the Panthers (NFL.com)

Rodney Hudson was traded to the Cardinals instead of being released (NFL.com)