The Baltimore Ravens were having a very strong start to the offseason until Monday, when legal tampering started. Many of their free agents have already left. Center Tyler Linderbaum put a significant damper on things, as he declined Baltimore’s market-setting offer, opting to agree to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Linderbaum’s decision is completely understandable, looking at the money he’ll be getting. He’s set to sign a three-year, $81 million deal when free agency officially opens. At $27 million per year, that’s not an offer that the Ravens’ front office was ever going to reach.
Linderbaum deserved to reset the market this offseason, and while fans are happy to see him get a massive payday, they’re also upset that he chose to leave. Following the move, left tackle Ronnie Stanley had a priceless reaction on Instagram that perfectly encapsulates the fanbase’s mood right now.
Ronnie Stanley is working through the stages of grief with Tyler Linderbaum gone.
— Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) March 9, 2026
(via IG/megatronnie) pic.twitter.com/J5lRbLfVph
Congrats, Tyler, but man, this one hurts.
Baltimore Ravens have mixed emotions watching Tyler Linderbaum become highest-paid center
According to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, the Ravens were willing to go up to $22 million per year for four years in the Linderbaum negotiations. Clearly, they were willing to reach over that $20-plus million salary that many expected him to get. However, his new luxury $27 million salary caught pretty much everyone off guard.
There were opportunities to keep Linderbaum around on a fifth-year option ($23.4 million) or franchise tag ($25.7 million), but over the past year, Baltimore declined to use either of those options.
Remember that the Ravens declined Tyler Linderbaum's fifth-year option and then didn't use the franchise tag because it was out of line for the center market at $25.8 million in 2026.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) March 9, 2026
Linderbaum just got $27 million per year on a multi-year contract.
It was a smart financial decision to do so at the time, and they probably didn’t think he would surpass either of those marks. Surprisingly, though, he surpassed both by a very comfortable margin.
The search for Linderbaum’s replacement is going to be tough. Former Green Bay Packers center Elgton Jenkins was released on Monday and should immediately become the top target. Ethan Pocic could also prove to be a sturdy replacement for a year or two, but his Achilles injury will raise questions.
Unfortunately, it’s extremely unlikely that Baltimore finds a replacement of Linderbaum’s caliber. They had one of the best centers in the NFL and lost him. It’s a harsh reality that they’ll have to deal with. However, they could find a piece at least somewhat close to the play that Linderbaum provided, while also saving money to fix up other areas of their roster. At least they'll convince themselves of that.