Top Ravens free agent Tyler Linderbaum got the mega contract elsewhere, as the Pro Bowl center will reportedly sign a record-setting three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
General Manager Eric DeCosta said at the Combine that the Ravens made a "market-setting" offer to Linderbaum. The Raiders didn't just reset the center market. They shattered it.
Linderbaum's three-year deal is worth a reported $81 million, a whopping average of $27 million per year. The previous highest-paid center, the Chiefs' Creed Humphrey, has an $18 million average salary. Linderbaum's reported $60 million in guaranteed money also blows out Humphrey's $50.3 million.
Reports indicated that Linderbaum's camp was aiming for a contract averaging $25 million per year. They exceeded that, with reportedly a large number of teams interested in Linderbaum's services.
A first-round pick in 2022, the Ravens opted not to pick up Linderbaum's fifth-year option, which would have carried a 2026 salary of $23.4 million. Linderbaum's reported average also tops what a 2026 franchise tag would have cost at $25.7 million.
Linderbaum's new reported $27 million average exceeds Kyle Hamilton's $25.1 million on the four-year deal he inked in Baltimore last summer.
The Raiders, who reportedly traded star defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks, were looking to invest in a front-line blocker in front of their next quarterback, presumably first-overall pick and Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza. The mobile Linderbaum is also an excellent fit in new Head Coach Klint Kubiak's stretch zone run scheme.
Though the Raiders went all-out to get Linderbaum, it's still a tough pill to swallow for the Ravens, as they lose a highly respected player and three-time Pro Bowler who anchored their offensive line.
Per ESPN's Jamison Hensley, it's only the second time the Ravens have lost a multi-Pro Bowl player in free agency after the end of their rookie contract. The other was linebacker C.J. Mosley in 2019, who was blown away by a record-setting offer by the New York Jets.
Baltimore was looking to upgrade the interior of its offensive line and is reportedly bringing back veteran guard John Simpson, but it will now have a big opening to fill. Several of the top available centers have already been scooped up or traded.
The Ravens could look to draft Linderbaum's replacement or turn to Corey Bullock, who spent last year as Linderbaum's backup and impressed many teammates and coaches last summer, including Linderbaum.
"I'm super stoked for Corey. I think he's putting himself in a great position," Linderbaum said last August.
"He plays the game the right way. He plays how you want a lineman to play – physical, tough – and he's a smart guy, too. So, if anything happens, I'm totally comfortable with him going in at that position and playing at a high level. He's a guy that just continues to work, continues to get better, and I'm excited for what's upcoming for Corey."
