The New Orleans Saints are in need of a center.
Veteran center Max Unger is retiring after 10 seasons in the league, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday. ESPN first reported the news.
Rapoport added that Unger is officially on the reserve/retired list, as of Saturday afternoon.
Unger had one year remaining on a three-year extension signed in 2016 and was owed $5.1 million in base salary this upcoming season.
Drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2009 draft, Unger spent the last four years anchoring the middle of New Orleans’ offensive line. The 32-year-old All-Pro center was coming off of a Pro Bowl season, the third of his career and his first with the Saints.
Unger was a model of consistency in New Orleans, missing just one game and committing just four penalties in four years. The veteran was considered the 19th-ranked center in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus.
Behind Unger on New Orleans’ line are more questions than answers. Cameron Tom, an undrafted third-year interior lineman out of Southern Miss, is next in line to snap the ball to Drew Brees, but the Saints are reportedly looking for a replacement in the barren free-agency market.
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