Tyler Linderbaum Reportedly Shooting for $25 Million Per Year in Free Agency
Not only is center Tyler Linderbaum the Ravens' most prominent free agent, but he also is arguably the top free agent in the league.
The three-time Pro Bowler is ranked as the No. 1 free agent by CBS Sports and No. 2 by ESPN and Sports Illustrated behind Cincinnati Bengals four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano and Matt Verderame’s contract projection for Linderbaum is four years, $84 million ($21 million per year), but SI’s Albert Breer said Linderbaum's team is seeking significantly more than that.
"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."
General Manager Eric DeCosta said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine that the Ravens have made a "market-setting offer" to the 25-year-old Linderbaum. The league's highest-paid center is the Kansas City Chiefs' Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year deal worth $72 million ($18 million per year) in 2024.
Jeff Zrebiec Predicts Whether Linderbaum, Other Notable Ravens Free Agents Stay or Go
In The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec’s predictions on whether each of the Ravens' 19 free agents will stay or go, he has Linderbaum staying but isn't firmly convinced.
"If Linderbaum gets to the open market, he's probably as good as gone," Zrebiec wrote. "Word out of Indianapolis last week is that a handful of teams are primed to present him with a blank check. The Ravens are willing to make Linderbaum the league's highest-paid center, but are they prepared to go over $22 million per year to keep him?
"The wild card is Linderbaum. The no-frills guy is comfortable in Baltimore and relishes being on an annual contender. Will he take a little less to stay? The bet here is yes, but it might be hard to resist the amount of money he could make on the open market."
Here's a look at Zrebiec's predictions for four other notable Ravens free agents (players' age in parentheses):
TE Isaiah Likely (25)
"DeCosta has said the Ravens could keep Likely, and Lamar Jackson surely wants that. He and Likely are close friends. The reality, though, is that if Likely gets top-10 tight end money at $12 million or more per year — and he should as a 25-year-old with upside in an underwhelming free-agent class — it would be awfully hard for Baltimore to make that commitment. Having two tight ends in the $12 million to $14 million per year range would be prohibitive given the team's other needs."
Verdict: Goes
OLB Kyle Van Noy (34)
"It's been a nice run in Baltimore for the veteran, who has 23 1/2 sacks in three seasons. In interviews since the end of the season, Van Noy says he'd be interested in a return. The Ravens need to add a veteran edge rusher, but they presumably will look at younger options first."
Verdict: Goes
TE Charlie Kolar (27)
"This is one of the toughest ones to call. On one hand, the Ravens value Kolar's blocking and ability to contribute in several ways. New Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle comes from an offense in Chicago that used multiple tight ends, and the Ravens currently have Mark Andrews under contract and not much else. However, Kolar is a free agent who could get more money than people think. You also couldn't blame him if he wanted to go somewhere to get a bigger role in the passing game."
Verdict: Stays
P Jordan Stout (27)
"He picked a great season to have a career breakout after three uneven years. The Ravens value consistency in the kicking game, and they'll want to get more out of the fourth-round investment they made in Stout in 2022. The question is how much they feel they can afford to spend on a punter. The league's top punters get in the $4 million per year range, and Stout has a case to be in that mix. A number of teams also have uncertain punting situations."
Verdict: Stays
Ravens Deemed Franchise Tag Deadline Losers
The franchise tag deadline has passed, and Verderame looked at the winners and losers. Verderame deemed the Ravens a loser for not tagging Linderbaum.
"DeCosta, the Ravens' general manager since 2019, has to know that should Linderbaum get to free agency, there's a good chance he'll never play another game in black and purple," Verderame wrote. "Two teams, the Giants and Chargers, both have ample cap space, a major need at center and Baltimore connections in Head Coach John Harbaugh and General Manager Joe Hortiz. Either would love to get their hands on Linderbaum, who would represent a massive upgrade on a pair of struggling offensive interiors."
The Ravens not using the tag on Linderbaum isn't surprising. When DeCosta was asked last week if he planned to apply the tag to Linderbaum, he replied, "Probably not."
Moreover, it wouldn't have made financial sense. Because all offensive linemen are grouped together, it would have cost the Ravens $25.77 million to place the tag on Linderbaum.
Pros and Cons of Trading Premium Draft Capital for an Elite Edge Rusher Such As Maxx Crosby
As noted in Late for Work on Tuesday, the Ravens are among seven teams reportedly "keeping tabs" on Las Vegas Raiders five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby if he's traded.
Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr looked at the pros and cons of spending premium draft capital on an elite edge rusher such as Crosby as opposed to having a committee of pass rushers, ala the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, who had three players tie for the team lead in sacks with seven and one who had six.
"The benefit: Having one elite edge rusher allows a defensive unit to more easily anticipate which direction an offensive line is going to slide its protection, and how and where the unit will allocate its
'Chip' player (an ancillary blocker, usually a tight end or running back but more increasingly a sixth offensive lineman, who can help bottleneck the pass rush)," Orr wrote. "It also includes the baked-in possibility that one singular person can take over a game.
"The drawback: The impact of an injury becomes more consequential, and injuries tend to accumulate more in pass rushers who bear an almost every-down burden in the defense (and tend to get targeted more schematically, either by plays that zap their energy and force them to run sideline to sideline or with multi-blocker run plays designed to wear away at a pass rusher's will over time). Of the league's six best non-Crosby pass rushers at the moment (Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson, Will Anderson Jr., Micah Parsons, Nik Bonitto and Danielle Hunter), most have missed at least a large chunk of one season due to a serious injury or injuries."
Crosby, 29, underwent left knee meniscus surgery in January and had season-ending ankle surgery in 2024. Overall, Crosby has undergone eight surgeries in his seven-year career.
In other news on the veteran edge rusher front, Hendrickson is set to hit the open market after the Bengals declined to use the franchise tag on him. The Ravens have frequently been mentioned as a landing spot for the 31-year-old Hendrickson.
"Baltimore won't present the most financially lucrative opportunity, but if Hendrickson is interested in trading dollars for title contention -- plus two guaranteed games against his former employer -- a season (or three) makes sense," NFL.com’s Nick Shook wrote.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings reportedly are open to trading Pro Bowl edge rusher Jonathan Greenard.
Greenard, 28, had 12.5 sacks in 2023 and 12 in 2024. He had just three sacks in 12 games this past season and suffered a shoulder injury in a Week 10 loss to the Ravens that ultimately required surgery.
Pundit Names Ravens a Top Contender to Face Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro
The Ravens will play a road game against the Cowboys next season, but it might not take place in Dallas.
The Cowboys have a home game in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and CBS Sports’ John Breech predicted their opponent will be either the Ravens or Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"When the NFL plays in a new city for the first time, the league usually tries to make a splash," Breech wrote. "Having the Cowboys face Lamar Jackson would certainly accomplish that."
The Ravens have another possibility for an international road game in 2026, as they could face the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid, Spain.
The Ravens have played twice internationally, with both games taking place in London. They last played abroad in 2023, when they beat the Tennessee Titans. Previous to that, the Ravens suffered a lopsided loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017.
