Raiders Expected to Make “Strong Run” at Tyler Linderbaum in Free Agency

The Raiders are expected to have more than $100 million in salary cap room when free agency begins this month, and if there’s one player everyone seems to agree they need to sign, it’s Ravens’ center Tyler Linderbaum.

Assuming he gets to free agency, the Raiders will have plenty of competition for Linderbaum as the veteran center is expected to get a deal worth more than $20 million per year.

If last year was any indication, the Raiders will be tight-lipped on who they plan to pursue in free agency, but according to Matthew Berry of NBC Sports, Linderbaum has the attention of the decision makers in Las Vegas.

“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 reported 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.”

Last month, Yahoo Sports host Jason Fitz was a guest on the Raiders’ flagship radio station, and he mentioned Linderbaum as the one player he doesn’t care what the team has to do to get him in Silver & Black next year.

“Give me [Tyler] Linderbaum at center,” Fitz said on Raider Nation Radio’s Morning Tailgate in February.

“If he gets out of Baltimore, then I don’t care if Mark Davis needs to send five personal jets filled with just wads of cash and dump them over his house at midnight when they’re signing up. I don’t care what you have to do. I don’t care if you give him like his own wall in Allegiant Stadium. I don’t care. Whatever it takes.”

“I hear now people. I can just hear them through my phone yelling [for] JPJ back to center. I know.
Look, let’s take what we saw last year and let’s acknowledge that last year wasn’t good enough. I can say that, stop that, and then go to the next page on it,” Fitz continued. 

“I’ve had multiple people that I think are smart in the way that they break down offensive linemen. I’ve had multiple former offensive linemen tell me JPJ is better suited at guard. I don’t think that that was a revolutionary thought. I just thought it was a poorly executed one. So… if you’re telling me that the right coach is going to come in and figure out what to do with JPJ, then I’m all in on that. Move him to guard, move Linderbaum to center. I’m going to rely on Kolton Miller getting back and healthy… but I think two [offensive linemen] in free agency would everybody feel a lot better.” 

Linderbaum turns 26 in April and has been to three straight Pro Bowls with the Ravens. He was ranked as the no. 4 center in the league by Pro Football Focus in 2025.

Creed Humphrey is currently the NFL’s highest paid center at $18 million per year, but there was an estimation last week was that Linderbaum might get close to $22.5 million per year in the deal he signs later this month.

x: @raidersbeat