The Baltimore Ravens’ nightmare unraveled on Monday, losing their ultra-reliable center, Tyler Linderbaum, to the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, there is a massive hole in front of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
While the Ravens were very engaged with Linderbaum in contract negotiations, offering him a market-setting deal, the Raiders had an ace up their sleeve with a market-setting deal of their own. Their three-year, $81 million agreement comes out to $27 million per year. Baltimore probably didn’t even come close to that.
While it’s agonizing to see the three-time Pro Bowler leave, there is at least some sort of silver lining. Although it's not even close to the value of Linderbaum, the Ravens will likely receive a 2027 third-round compensatory pick as a result of losing him on that lucrative deal. Hey, at least that’s something.
Baltimore Ravens will still get something of value after losing Tyler Linderbaum
Of course, that pick won’t help Baltimore in 2026. They’re making a huge push for the Super Bowl, as made evident through their gutsy trade for edge rusher Maxx Crosby. That pick, whatever it comes out to be, won’t come until 2027. Still, for a front office that emphasizes the NFL Draft more than any other team, this could be a key piece to building for the future.
If that comp pick does convey to be a third-rounder, that’d be good value. The Ravens haven’t been excellent in that territory, but they have had some recent hits, including players like defensive linemen Travis Jones (2022) and Nnamdi Madubuike (2020). They may not find a Pro Bowler like Linderbaum in that range, but it’s certainly possible they find a potential starter if they land a comp pick in the third round.
Despite the initial pain of losing Linderbaum, fans can also be somewhat happy that the Ravens didn’t overpay. The best-case scenario was that they’d he’d ink that market-setting contract general manager Eric DeCosta offered, while taking a bit of a hometown discount. Instead, he’s getting offensive tackle money at $27 million per year. That’s money that Baltimore couldn’t afford to pay, especially for a center.
Moving forward, the Ravens obviously need to find themselves a center. The center market got a boost after the Green Bay Packers released Elgton Jenkins. However, the talent at that spot in free agency isn’t abundant, so it could ultimately become a trade market or a 2026 NFL Draft move to replace Linderbaum.