Dan Quinn Tyler Linderbaum
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NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Dan Quinn and the Washington Commanders will push hard to sign center Tyler Linderbaum if he reaches NFL free agency.
The Washington Commanders appeared to have a new potential starting center with Nick Allegretti when they inked the veteran to a 2-year deal to begin this month. However, the Commanders could still be thinking much bigger at center — Tyler Linderbaum.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Sunday that if Linderbaum doesn’t re-sign with the Baltimore Ravens in the next 24 hours, the Commanders will push hard for the 3-time Pro Bowler.
“Should he not re-sign with the Ravens, there is a belief among teams that the Commanders will heavily pursue C Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, per multiple sources,” wrote Schultz on X.
“Washington recently released their starting center Tyler Biadasz.”
To sign Linderbaum, the Commanders likely will have to make history.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame projected Linderbaum to receive a 4-year, $84 million deal this offseason. The $21 million average annual salary would make Linderbaum the highest-paid NFL center of all time.
The two SI analysts ranked Linderbaum the No. 2 free agent in the entire league for 2026.
Commanders to ‘Heavily Pursue’ Tyler Linderbaum If Available
Linderbaum should have several teams pursuing him should he reach the open market. He would be the consensus top center on the open market. So, any team in need of an upgrade in the middle of their offensive line could target Linderbaum.
He’s one of the top pending free agents at any position this offseason. The Athletic’s Daniel Popper rated him the No. 6 free agent on his list.
“Linderbaum, a 2022 first-round pick, is an athletic, versatile and powerful run blocker. He takes great angles and is very capable on the move on outside-zone runs, as a puller and in the screen game,” Popper wrote. “Though he is not an elite pass protector, Linderbaum shows the eyes and instincts necessary to identify stunts and deceptive movement along the defensive front.”
The only thing that might deter teams from signing Linderbaum is the cost.
NFL insider Albert Breer reported Linderbaum could be trying to blow away the previous record for highest-paid NFL center.
“Word is Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum is shooting for $25 million per year in free agency,” Breer wrote. “I don’t think he quite gets there. But the fact that Baltimore declined its fifth-year option on him, and didn’t tag him, purely because those calculations include all linemen, is why a player of his level gets to the market.”
On an average annual basis, Kansas City Chiefs‘ Creed Humphrey is the current highest-paid center at $18 million per season.
Commanders Re-Signed Nick Allegretti
The Commanders are potentially targeting Linderbaum after cutting center Tyler Biadasz on February 26.
Washington saved $2.885 million against the salary cap with Biadasz’s release.
Biadasz started 31 games for the Commanders from 2024-25. He made the Pro Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys during 2022.
A few days after that Biadasz’s release, the Commanders re-signed Allegretti to a 2-year deal. Allegretti replaced an injured Biadasz in the starting lineup for the last two games of 2025.
Bringing back Allegretti gives the Commanders some flexibility. They can pursue a mammoth deal with a free agent such as Linderbaum because ideally, Allegretti will return as a backup interior offensive lineman.
But Allegretti could start if the Commanders strike out in the center free agent market.
It could be Linderbaum or bust for Washington and a lot of other NFL teams needing a veteran center this offseason. There are less than a handful of other centers that analysts consider even top 100 free agents this offseason.
The consensus best free agent alternative to Linderbaum, Connor McGovern, is heading back to the Buffalo Bills.
The lack of other top centers in free agency will only help raise Linderbaum’s price tag.