Tyler Linderbaum
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Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
It’s been a foregone conclusion for some time that the Las Vegas Raiders are going to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. What sort of situation he steps into with the Raiders is still up in the air.
If the Raiders want to try and soften Mendoza’s landing — and keep him healthy — then a smart move might be to build a competent offensive line in front of him.
That starts with the center, and there’s a very good 1 on the market right now with Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who is in line for a market-setting free agent contract in the 2026 cycle.
NBC’s Matthew Berry predicts that’s a deal that could actually happen, with free agency set to kick off on March 9.
“Expect the Las Vegas Raiders to make a very strong run at the Ravens star center Tyler Linderbaum, who is going to set records with his eventual payday,” Berry wrote on Monday. “He’ll have many suitors, but I’m told the Raiders, who have a ton of cap space, very much like the idea of a stud like Linderbaum lining up in front of the No. 1 overall pick if Las Vegas does, in fact, draft Fernando Mendoza.”
Messy Negotiations With Ravens Over New Deal
As far as what the chances are of Linderbaum possibly returning to Baltimore, at this point, it doesn’t seem likely.
“(The Ravens) have tried to negotiate with (Linderbaum),” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on February 23. “His agent is very difficult to negotiate with. Neil Cornrich is the agent and his method is basically not responding.”
That’s not a great place to be in for the Ravens. Especially not with a litany of free agent predictions sending Linderbaum, a 3-time Pro Bowler, to former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and his new team, the New York Giants.
Spotrac currently predicts Linderbaum’s value on the open market to be in the range of a 4-year, $70.8 million contract, which would pay him approximately $17.7 million per year. Linderbaum just played the final season of his 4-year, $13.23 million rookie contract.
In all reality, Linderbaum’s deal is likely to top $20 million per year.
Record-Setting Offer Could Grab Tyler Linderbaum
If the Raiders, Ravens or Giants truly want Linderbaum, they could simplify things by offering him a 4-year, $73 million contract to make him the highest-paid center in NFL history.
That deal would surpass the 4-year, $72 million contract signed by Kansas City Chiefs center and 2-time Super Bowl champion Creed Humphrey before the 2024 season.
“Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said the team has made a ‘market setting’ offer to center Tyler Linderbaum, who will be a free agent next month,” ESPN’s Jamison Hensley wrote on X on Tuesday.
Tyler Linderbaum Rare 1st Round Pick as Center
There aren’t many centers, ever, who have been first-round picks in the NFL draft. Linderbaum is one of them, going No. 25 overall in 2022.
The 6-foot-2, 314-pound Iowa native dominated at the University of Iowa, where he was a 2-time All-Big Ten pick and was at his very best in his final season, winning the Rimington Trophy, earning All-American honors, and being named Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Heading into the 2022 NFL draft, NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Linderbaum to no less than future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Kelce.
“Teams with certain size standards might pass on him but his tenacity and talent make him a can’t-miss prospect if matched in the right scheme,” Zierlein wrote in 2022.