We are now just a few weeks away from the official start of the 2024 NFL season. The new league year begins in mid-March, at which point NFL teams will be able to begin upgrading their rosters in an effort to dethrone the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
The first part of that process will come in free agency. We’ve been gearing up for the start of player-acquisition season all week here at CBSSports.com, and we’re going to continue that process below by taking a look at the offensive line.
When we released our rundown of the top 25 offensive free agents last week, that group included eight interior offensive linemen. Here, we’ll add two more to the list and call it a top 10. That list is as follows:
All of these players are starter quality or better. With the exception of Zeitler and possibly Risner, they’re all heading into what should be the prime years of their career. This is likely their last, best chance to sign big-money deals, and they’ll likely want to cash in as best as they possibly can.
It’s important to note that the top of the current market at center is set with Jason Kelce’s $14.25 million-per-year average, followed by Frank Ragnow at $13.5 million. Ragnow set the mark with $27.96 million in guarantees, while Corey Linsley (who will apparently retire this offseason) got the largest overall contract with $62.5 million in total salary.
At guard, Chris Lindstrom reset the market last year with $20.5 million per year, $48.2 million guaranteed, and $102.5 million total. Quenton Nelson follows closely behind in each of those categories with $20 million per year, $41 million guaranteed, and $80 million total.
It really does not look like any of these players have a chance to top any of those numbers. They’re all solid players, but none of them is all that close to being the best in the league at their position. Instead, they seem likely to slot more in the…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-free-agency-interior-ol-market-top-10-available-players-projected-contracts-best-team-fits/
Author : Jared Dubin
Publish date : 2024-02-22 15:12:44
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