The Ravens are trying to keep Pro Bowl C Tyler Linderbaum in the Black and Purple, but it’ll cost them a pretty penny. On the verge of resetting the market at his position, the fifth-year veteran is due to hit unrestricted free agency. With Baltimore unlikely to use the franchise or transition tags, the clock is ticking rapidly until they face a bidding war.
“He’s proven to be, in my opinion, the best center in the league”, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said of Linderbaum at the Combine, via the team’s website. “We’ve been having conversations. We’ve had conversations since the end of the season, and at this point in time, we’ve made him a market-setting offer, and hopefully we can get something done with him between now and the start of the new league year”.
Selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, Tyler Linderbaum quickly established himself among the NFL’s centers. He has made the Pro Bowl for three straight years and many regard him as the best in the game. Right now, the top-paid center is the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, but his record number will soon fall.
The center market has been somewhat static, with Humphrey sitting at an $18 million APY. Tyler Linderbaum’s new deal should put that comfortably above $20 million, for multiple reasons. For one, the cap has ballooned since Humphrey’s deal. For another, Humphrey signed a contract extension. Linderbaum will be a free agent, whether in fact or in practice, since his contract is expiring.
In other words, if the Ravens want Linderbaum signed before other teams can make an offer, they need to make an offer so strong that it gives him no reason to consider alternatives. It’s nearly the end of February; he just has to wait a couple weeks.
Another complicating factor is the impractical nature of the franchise and transition tags for offensive linemen. For reasons not clearly understood, the NFL continues to group all offensive linemen together for this purpose. Because tackles make more than guards, and guards more than centers, applying the transition tag to a center—even an elite center—is incongruous with the market.
The transition tag price for offensive linemen is $25,305,000, which is more than $7 million more than the highest-paid center on the market. Tyler Linderbaum will reset the market, but not by 29 percent. DeCosta readily acknowledged that they would “probably not” use a tag, which is a given.
“I think he knows how we feel about him and that we’d love to have him back”, new Ravens HC Jesse Minter said of Linderbaum. “He’s a major piece of our offense. I think he fits really well into the direction our offense is headed. He’s a guy that we’d love to have back, but I certainly respect the idea of free agency as well”.
The Ravens know there is a very real chance that Tyler Linderbaum will leave in free agency. They are reportedly well underway in doing their homework to prepare for that potential eventuality. But I don’t think Keeanu Benton or Yahya Black would be too upset to see him go.
Recommended for you