Broncos' C Connor McGovern Poised to Command Big Free-Agent Dollars
With the Super Bowl in the books, Denver Broncos' GM John Elway will begin the process of trying to catch up to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It's more of an arms race than ever before.
A priority for the Broncos will be to not let sentimentality get in the way of making the right football decisions, especially when some fans are urging the front-office to re-sign favorites like Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris, Jr., both of whom are Super Bowl 50 holdovers.
Most importantly, Elway will have to take an expansive overview of the roster and leave no stone unturned. This might result in some of the familiar veteran faces being moved on to play elsewhere. Connor McGovern, who started all 16 games last year at center, is one such player that will be allowed to test the market and explore what his value is around the league as he talks with other teams.
McGovern will have suitors when free agency opens next month, but how much interest he attracts will color the contract talks with the Broncos as his value potentially rises. He will certainly be looking to increase his salary considerably from the $2.025 million he banked last year.
There are some who speculate that McGovern could command as much as $10M per year, which, for a guy who's never had injury issues and brings consistent starter's experience to the table, isn't far-fetched at all. In fact, it's not inconceivable to imagine McGovern commanding more than Matt Paradis' $8.8M annual average in Carolina.
Even $10M/year would make McGovern just the ninth- or 10th highest-paid center in the league. Considering his age (26), experience and relative durability, it's possible he could find a surprisingly bullish market for his services, perhaps even pricing him out of Denver's range.
In what was his first full season as a starter without interruption, McGovern did not draw a single penalty flag, which can only help his cause when other teams approach him. Compared to where he started in training camp and the struggles he had at times in snapping the ball cleanly, his performance at center improved dramatically over the course of the season.
McGovern's ability to handle the O-line calls and protections, setting his teammates up with the correct blocking assignments, improved as the season marched on. McGovern was relied on even more heavily when the untested rookie Drew Lock took over as the starting quarterback.
Lock's transition was also helped by he and McGovern having been teammates before at the University of Missouri, successfully laying down a framework of communication and trust that helped the QB register four wins in his first five starts.
McGovern was well aware, even back in mid-November, that a solid season could result in a bigger payday, whether by staying with the Broncos or via his pending free agency status.
“That second contract is what every guy in the NFL is hoping for,” McGovern told Mike Klis of 9NEWS back in November. “Not that I need any more motivation to go out and play well but it’s definitely there and I’m excited for the offseason. I’d love to stay here but however free agency evolves, you never know.”
McGovern is playing the nerve-racking waiting game to see whether Elway will court his services, so he will have to be patient. That’s because Elway and the Broncos brass took significant time away from Dove Valley during the month of January before returning to evaluate the roster and the team's pending free agents before any vital decisions are made.
“That gives us more time to do it the right way," Elway said during his end-of-season presser on December 30. "Rather than doing it on a personal side, because the coaches get connected with [players], I think you get a better objective view when you get away and you’re able to go back and look at it individually."
This evaluation time will now be even more important since Pat Shurmur replaced Rich Scangarello as the Broncos' offensive coordinator. Shurmur, the former New York Giants' head coach, will be providing a crucial set of fresh eyes on the body of work put in by the incumbent starters he now inherits.
McGovern will also be hoping his new coordinator receives enough good reports from his position coach, Mike Munchak, that he urges the front office to offer him a new deal to continue to protect the Lock project, which will be a heavy focus of Shurmur's. Every young playmaker needs someone to watch his back — just think back to how Wayne Gretzky had his longtime bodyguard Marty McSorley.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
