Another team in the AFC West, the Las Vegas Raiders, countered that acquisition by inking former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million contract, which includes $60 million guaranteed.
Las Vegas signing the 25-year-old center is obviously a monumental addition that will affect the Chiefs moving forward, but there is an underlying reason why this deal specifically pertains to Kansas City.
Linderbaum Becomes Highest-Paid Center
Prior to this historic deal, Chiefs’ center Creed Humphrey was the league’s highest-paid player at the position, earning $18 million per season. Linderbaum lapped that annual average, as his contract is worth $27 million per season.
Humphrey now looks like a bargain, as the Raiders’ newly acquired center is making $9 million more per season and has reset the center market, which could culminate in more players at the position leaping Humphrey’s annual salary.