The Detroit Lions have lost out on their shot to land the perfect starting center this offseason, with Connor McGovern reportedly re-signing with the Buffalo Bills. ESPN's Adam Schefter was first with the news.
McGovern, per Schefter, is re-signing on a four-year, $52 million deal that keeps him in Buffalo. He'll keep protecting Josh Allen in a suddenly competitive AFC East for a few more years, while the Lions are now out of the market for him before free agency even kicks off on Monday.
Detroit, which just lost Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, and has already been dealing with the retirement of Frank Ragnow, is still on the hunt for center help outside of Tate Ratledge. With McGovern getting taken off the market, their pickings are even slimmer.
Lions lose out on McGovern, opening door further for Ratledge at center
Detroit has been reportedly considering the option of starting Ratledge at center, which would immediately open the need for a right guard on their already porous offensive line. In addition to this potential swap, the Lions are also out of a left tackle thanks to Decker's release. Their only remaining top lineman is Penei Sewell, who can play either the left or right tackle.
The draft offers the Lions some solutions at both tackle, guard, and center, although tackle in the first round feels a lot more important than taking a guard or center if you're Detroit. As for centers still available, Cade Mays, Luke Fortner, and even Tyler Linderbaum remain available.
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The Lions, as of the Sunday before free agency, haven't adjusted any current player's deals to open up cap space or to become cap compliant ahead of Wednesday's deadline. The release of Decker, assuming it's designated as a pre-June 1 release, would save them about $11.6 million against the cap.
It feels unlikely that Brad Holmes spends big on Linderbaum, who is already commanding a market upwards of $17.7 million AAV. However, players like Mays and Fortner offer some slightly cheaper alternatives for the Lions to add depth behind Ratledge if he were to slide over to center.