Packers Activate C Corey Linsley From IR

The Packers will have their standout center back in action Sunday night. They activated Corey Linsley from IR in advance of their key matchup against the Titans.

Linsley will end up having missed only the minimum three games because of a knee sprain. His return will be a boon to a Green Bay squad that has the inside track to earn the NFC’s lone bye.

When Linsley went down in late November, he was playing at a high level. The longtime Packers center will enter Week 16 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1-ranked snapper — by a significant margin. In the final weeks of his second Packers contract, Linsley will now have a chance to make a final push for either an extension or a monster free agency payday.

As of last month, no extension talks had transpired between Linsley and the Packers. He joins Aaron Jones as key Packers free agents-to-be. Although the salary cap is expected to decline for only the second time in the cap era, high-level offensive linemen are coveted annually in free agency. Linsley, 29, would have a chance to top Ryan Kelly‘s new high-water salary mark for centers ($12.4MM per year) were he to reach free agency. The Packers recently authorized a record-breaking extension for left tackle David Bakhtiari.

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