Graham Glasgow is officially a cap casualty ahead of the Detroit Lions' 2026 free agency period.
Glasgow, the veteran guard-turned-center, was released one week before free agency opens, creating an extra $5.5 million cap space. The Lions still have a lot of work to do to clear enough room to ensure they can be competitive with their spending this offseason, but it's a start. And, it shows that Detroit is potentially on the hunt for their next starting center in free agency.
If they're not just opting to slide Tate Ratledge over to center, the Lions have a few options to consider on the market at the position that aren't named Tyler Linderbaum. His price tag is far too steep, and Detroit is unlikely to spend big on someone who doesn't play a skill position.
Lions' free agent options at center that aren't Tyler Linderbaum
Connor McGovern
McGovern might be the next big domino to fall on the center market once Linderbaum is snagged off the wire. He's the second-best available option at the position behind Linderbaum. The Buffalo Bills are probably looking to keep him on board considering how great their offensive line has played over the last few years, but they might not have the money to keep him.
Detroit could swoop in here with a deal if they can clear significant cap space via restructurings, but they're basically in the same boat as Buffalo here. McGovern is expected to earn somewhere around $16.3 million per year on his next deal, per Spotrac.
Ethan Pocic
Pocic would be a great depth add to the Lions' center room, but he wouldn't be able to start as he suffered a torn Achilles in December of this past year. That's going to buck right against the beginning of the 2026 season. If the Lions wanted to invest in his potential following a rehabilitation from that injury, he could be worth the effort.
Per PFF, he only allowed two sacks all season, but had 14 pressures allowed in 826 snaps at center. Pocic has been up and down with his productivity since being with the Cleveland Browns, but he's shown flashes of being a really solid starting center. Per Spotrac, he's looking at a deal in the ballpark of $10.6 million per year.
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Cade Mays
Mays is another risky signing that the Lions could make this offseason. He looked good in relief of Austin Corbett this past year, but the question with him is whether he'd be able to maintain that level of play if he got another shot at starting in 2026. Or, would he regress?
From LionsOnSI's Vito Chirco's write-up on the pros and cons of Mays as a Lion:
"Over the past two seasons, Mays has accumulated more than 1,200 snaps at center and has quietly become one of the league’s more dependable interior pass-protectors. He has allowed just 21 pressures and zero sacks across 756 pass-blocking snaps during that span."
His age, coupled with the fact that Spotrac only has him projected to earn $12.3 million per year on his next deal, could make him a very enticing option for Detroit as a depth piece on their interior offensive line.
Luke Fortner
Fortner is another young addition the Lions could make to their IOL. The New Orleans Saints center had an impressive 2025 campaign, allowing zero quarterback hits and just three sacks over 675 snaps. He wasn't a huge standout in any way given how badly the rest of the Saints' offensive line performed throughout the year, but he was obviously a consistent force up front.
Fortner is expected to earn $6.2 million per year on his next deal, which makes him the cheapest starting center the Lions are going to find this offseason (outside of Ratledge, who is still on his rookie deal). Even if Detroit does start Ratledge after all, Fortner would be a great, cheap backup signing for the Lions.