Times are getting stressful for the Baltimore Ravens. While there’s a lot of hope for the offseason after hiring Jesse Minter and a new coaching regime, the fact of the matter is the roster needs a significant boost. They also need to retain some crucial free agents.
At the top of that list of free agents is center Tyler Linderbaum. The Ravens want to keep him around, as general manager Eric DeCosta noted that there’s a market-setting deal on the table for Linderbaum to sign, but it takes two to tango. Linderbaum’s agent, Neil Cornrich, has made for a tough negotiation process.
Baltimore doesn’t have much time left to ink Linderbaum to a new contract before free agency takes off. The legal tampering period begins on March 9. Thankfully, DeCosta was in this situation last year with left tackle Ronnie Stanley, and he could repeat a similar late move with Linderbaum.
Ravens could repeat the Ronnie Stanley move in Tyler Linderbaum negotiations
Last year, the Ravens got dangerously close to the deadline before Stanley signed an extension. Stanley agreed to a three-year, $60 million contract on Saturday, March 8, 2024, just two days before legal tampering began. Given the apparent progression, at least from Baltimore’s side of things, on Linderbaum’s next contract, they could be headed down a similar path.
Linderbaum is going to reset the market. DeCosta made it clear that’s what his current offer entails. At this moment, Kansas City Chiefs four-time Pro Bowler Creed Humphrey is the NFL’s highest-paid center on a lucrative four-year, $72 million deal and an $18 million salary. Linderbaum has earned that chance to be the highest-paid center.
If Linderbaum surpasses Humphrey as all the signs suggest, he could approach a similar salary to that of Stanley, who earns $20 million per year. Obviously, that is in the range of some of the best tackles in the game. That’s usually unheard of for centers, but unfortunately for the Ravens, that’s the expensive reality of the league. Business is booming.
The salary cap has risen to $301.2 million for 2026, which is a $22 million increase. As a result, players will demand a lot more. For Pro Bowl and All-Pro level players like Linderbaum, that price will become especially hefty.
If Linderbaum reaches unrestricted free agency, teams are going to be relentless in pursuit of him. It already sounds like he’s on the verge of earning money in that $20 million range, and if Baltimore lets other teams in on the negotiation process, his cost is going to skyrocket.
The Ravens cannot afford to let Linderbaum hit the open market. He’s simply too valuable to them. The interior offensive line was horrendous in 2025, and Linderbaum was the only player providing any sort of consistency in the middle. Sure, it was a down year for him, but given the subpar play from offensive guards Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele, it was understandable. With those questions at guard, they need their Pro Bowl center to stick around and keep the offensive front above water.
Baltimore could have a potential Plan B with center Tyler Biadasz, who was released by the Washington Commanders, but they can’t think that way right now. The top order of business should be extending Linderbaum, and if history is any telling, there could be a chaotic close-to-the-deadline extension in store.