Free Agent Profile: Connor McGovern

Connor McGovern has been an anchor on the Denver Broncos offensive line the last two seasons, while the spots next to him have been revolving doors. That kind of stability as the team looks to continue building their offensive line is going to be key, but McGovern heads into the 2020 offseason slated to become an unrestricted free agent.

Should the Broncos pursue McGovern and try to maintain some continuity on their offensive line as Drew Lock enters his second NFL season?

What kind of contract could he get

This could get pricey for the Broncos. If we take the market value for a center like Matt Skura of the Baltimore Ravens, we could be looking somewhere near 4-yrs and $40 million for McGovern to stick around in Denver. In fact, you might want to bump that number up a little as McGovern ranks above Skura in some free agent rankings out there.

Skura finished with a Pro Football Focus overall grade of 68.7, while McGovern finished slight above at 71.9 if you need something with a grade. The fact of the matter is, the Broncos might need to pony upwards of $11 million a year to keep McGovern in the orange and blue.

Why the Broncos should sign him

Continuity and versatility.

The offensive line is definitely in flux as they work to bring that unit back to something that isn’t bottom in the league. Keeping McGovern on the roster would denote one less position they have to worry about heading into training camp and the regular season.

Also, the fact that McGovern can play guard opens up the possibility of flexing him back to that position if the need arose.

Why the Broncos shouldn’t sign him

Cost.

It’s tough to think Denver couldn’t just draft a center in the third or fourth rounds to replace McGovern and have it work out okay. Dropping $11 million a year on the center position just feels a bit too rich for a team trying to build a roster back into a contender.

This might be the toughest decision John Elway has to make this offseason in weighing the financial costs to the need for quality starters on the offensive line.

Final word

This one is tough. I feel like they could save money here by targeting a center in the middle rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft. However, that would be a huge risk considering there isn’t much of an option at the position behind McGovern right now. His position versatility too is something that must be strongly consider as well.

Would you be comfortable with John Elway dropping $11 million a year on McGovern to lock down the center position for the next several years or should he spend those cap dollars elsewhere?