The Green Bay Packers have a devoted fanbase. When a player contracts with or is drafted by Green Bay, they are immediately considered a member of the community. Indeed, Packers players continue to communicate with fans long after they retire due to their special affinity.
Of course, given the nature of the NFL, fan favorites frequently leave the Packers before their careers are complete. As much as every player wishes to play for one team throughout their career, this does not happen very often. Even Packers legends Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Dorsey Levens, and hundreds of others went on to play for other clubs before retiring.
In other circumstances, players leave with a negative attitude towards the company (see Greg Jennings), which influences how much supporters choose to root for them after signing elsewhere. For the most part, supporters are pleased to see their previous favorite players prosper on other clubs. Green Bay Packers fans loved Center. Corey Linsley
The Packers drafted Corey Linsley in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. The Packers were desperate for a center who could be counted on week in and week out for the long run. Following Scott Wells’ free agency departure after the 2011 season, Green Bay relied on an ageing Jeff Saturday and Evan Dietrich-Smith as starting centers. Dietrich-Smith, a backup lineman until the 2013 season when he started at center, signed as a free agency with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2014 and beyond.
Enter Linsley, who has been the starter since the beginning of his career. He spent seven seasons with the Packers and was voted First Team All-Pro in 2020. Packers fans adored him because he was as dependable a center as the franchise had ever had, and he regularly anchored an offensive line that protected Rodgers. Unfortunately, the Packers could no longer afford Linsley after the 2020 season, thus he signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. Corey Linsley’s tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers was cut short.
Linsley continued in Los Angeles where he left off in Green Bay during his debut season with the Chargers. He appeared in 16 games and was selected to his only career Pro Bowl. He had another good season in 2022 as well. Unfortunately, three games into the 2023 season, the Chargers placed Linsley on the non-football injury list, therefore ending his season. Linsley had developed a cardiac issue, which jeopardized his playing career.
Linsley and the Chargers announced Wednesday afternoon that the former All-Pro center was retiring. Green Bay Packers fans want the best for Corey Linsley. Given Linsley’s condition, her decision to resign is understandable. Even though it had been almost three years since he last wore a Packers uniform, Green Bay fans expressed their admiration for him on social media.
Linsley is likely to be inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in the near future.
