The Baltimore Ravens selected Tyler Linderbaum in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and quickly witnessed his rise to becoming one of the game’s premier players at his position. The Iowa product has made two Pro Bowls during his first three seasons in the league and finished the 2024 campaign with a 79.9 PFF grade, the third-best mark among 40 eligible centers.
Despite the strong play, the Baltimore Ravens declined the fifth-year option on Linderbaum’s contract, as the team couldn’t justify the high price and short-term cap hit increase. However, that doesn’t mean Baltimore doesn’t want him around for the long-term, and Bleacher Report‘s Moe Moton argued that extending Tyler Linderbaum is the most important thing the Ravens could do.
“Now, Baltimore has to speed up the clock on signing Linderbaum to an extension before he hits free agency in 2026,” Moton writes. “Linderbaum deserves a big-money deal that tops Philadelphia Eagles center Cam Jurgens’ four-year, $68 million contract.”
Bleacher Report: Ravens Must Extend Tyler Linderbaum
In a perfect world, the Baltimore Ravens would love to have Tyler Linderbaum as a long-term fixture on the offensive line. However, the NFL’s hard salary cap makes it impossible for good teams to retain all of their star talent, and Baltimore may need to make a tough decision. Linderbaum is one of the game’s premier centers, but center is one of the less important positions in football.
As of this posting, the Ravens are projected to have $16.98 million in salary cap space in 2026. This sounds good, but they must set money aside to re-sign players like Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy, and emerging tight end Isaiah Likely. Perhaps the team values Linderbaum over an older player like Van Noy, but only time will tell if this team can make the money work.
Main Photo: Gregory Fisher – Imagn Images
The post Breaking: Ravens Urged to Extend Homegrown Superstar appeared first on Last Word on Pro Football.