The Ravens have arguably the best center in the NFL for Tyler Linderbaum, but the question is, for how much longer? Going into his fifth season, Linderbaum will hit free agency if the Ravens don’t tag him. Considering the franchise tag is prohibitively expensive for reasons we’ll go into, they have a deadline to get him signed. They declined his fifth-year option for the same reason, but now he is nearly free.
A first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Tyler Linderbaum quickly established himself as one of the NFL’s top centers. He was in the running for Offensive Rookie of the Year, which is rare for offensive linemen. Over the past three seasons, he has made the Pro Bowl every year.
And he is the top center on the market, especially when you factor in age. There are some viable centers in the mix like Ethan Pocic, but Tyler Linderbaum is head and shoulders the best available name. That is, if the Ravens allow him to make himself available.
That will be hard to avoid, given the difficulty of giving a center the franchise tag. For salary purposes, the NFL classes all offensive linemen—tackles, guards, centers—together. It’s a terrible and outdated method, given the pay-scale discrepancies between the positions. Right now, Creed Humphrey is the all-time highest-paid center at $18 million per year. Linderbaum is expected to clear that bar easily.
The question is, can the Ravens coax Linderbaum into agreeing to sign a long-term extension before he hits free agency? Once he does, every other team can bid on him. And he’s this close now, so I’m not sure why he wouldn’t want to wait and give himself options.
Creed Humphrey was a second-round pick in 2021, and the Chiefs signed him to an extension entering his fourth season. At four years and $72 million, he reset the market. That was two cycles ago, and the salary cap will by about 20 percent larger. Even if you adjust for simple cap inflation, you’re looking at north of $21 million per year for Linderbaum.
According to Jason LaCanfora, the Ravens are exploring their options in the event they can’t re-sign Tyler Linderbaum. He indicated that contract negotiations haven’t seen much progress, and noted Connor McGovern as a player Baltimore is scouting.
McGovern is the second-best center set to his free agency this cycle behind Linderbaum, but arguably a distant second. A six-year veteran, he has 78 starts under his belt with the Cowboys and the Bills. He has been Josh Allen’s starting center for the past three seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 2024.
The Ravens have a history of letting offensive linemen walk in free agency, recouping compensatory picks along the way. Could Tyler Linderbaum be the latest? Replacing him with another unrestricted free agent risks canceling out a compensatory pick, but they have their ways of maneuvering.
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