The best center on the market, Ryan Jensen, signed a new contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers instead of going elsewhere on the open market. Jensen is now off the 2022 free agency board. The iron man inked his deal with the Bucs on a three-year deal worth $39 million and $23 million guaranteed at signing, according to his agent Mike McCartney.
Ryan Jensen re-signs with Tampa Bay Buccaneers
As a sixth-round pick out of Colorado State-Pueblo in 2013, Jensen infrequently played his first three seasons in Baltimore at left guard before the Ravens inserted him as their center in 2017. You could even call him the first iteration of Bradley Bozeman.
After a standout 2017 season, Jensen signed a four-year deal with the Bucs worth $42 million. With only 14 sacks allowed in over 4,000 pass-blocking snaps, it’s easy to see why the franchise valued him so much. After the somewhat surprising retirement announcement from 28-year-old left guard Ali Marpet, Tampa Bay couldn’t afford to lose all three of their interior linemen.
Getting to know Ryan Jensen
Part of Jensen’s value comes from his insane durability. The 30-year-old has played over 1,000 snaps in five straight seasons. If we combine regular plus postseason snaps, he’s tallied over 2,600 offensive snaps over the past two seasons.
After hurting his ankle against Philadelphia, it appeared the veteran center could be out for an extended period heading into 2022. A teammate rolled up on him from behind. The video is ugly.
Nevertheless, Jensen was back on the field on the next offensive drive. Sometimes adrenaline can help folks get through serious injury in the moment. The more amazing development was that he played 72 snaps against the Los Angeles Rams the following week.
Who else is on the market?
After Jensen’s record-setting deal, who is left in free agency as of the time of this article being published? Jensen was the eighth-ranked player and top interior lineman in the class.
With Jensen returning to Tampa Bay, Baltimore’s new Jensen, Bozeman, is still on the market as one of the top options both as a left guard and center. Ben Jones, Brian Allen, and Billy Price are all possible options for teams heading into 2022.