I don't think you would get much traction on C developers' existing projects. C gives you the option to do everything your way. If the developer's paradigm doesn't agree with the borrow checker, it could become a rewrite anyway.

Most projects don't use the newer c standards. The language just doesn't change much, and C devs like that. This might get a better response from the modern C++ crowd, but then you are missing a large chunk of the world.