The Ravens have signaled their desire to sign center Tyler Linderbaum to an extension before he hits free agency, but the two sides “are not within striking distance of a deal,” per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Ravens did not pick up the fifth-year option for Linderbaum this offseason, making 2025 a contract year for the 2022 first-round pick. Because the NFL groups all offensive linemen together for contract designations, Linderbaum’s fifth-year option would have come in at $23.4MM. That’s an appropriate price for a top tackle, but far too much money for a center.
Linderbaum, a two-time Pro Bowler, is likely looking to reset the center market, which is currently topped by Creed Humphrey at $18MM per year. Inflating Humphrey’s contract to match the 2025 salary cap would yield a $19.7MM APY for Linderbaum. That feels a little high given Linderbaum’s struggles in pass protection this year, not just relative to Humphrey, but to the entire league. The fourth-year Raven has allowed 16 pressures this year, the fifth-most among all centers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He is on pace to eclipse the 29 pressures he allowed as a rookie; in 2023 and 2024, he allowed 18 and 19 pressures, respectively.
Baltimore is in a tough spot. Pay for interior offensive linemen has exploded in the last few offseasons, and Linderbaum would be one of the best centers to hit free agency in recent years. That could create a bidding war if he hits the open market, something he and his representation are sure to know as they negotiate with the Ravens.
A franchise or transition tag is not an option, either. The first would be $27.2MM, and the second would be $24.6MM, per OverTheCap. Besides the inflated value for a center, the Ravens would also struggle to absorb a one-year cap hit of that size, and their long-term financial situation isn’t pretty, either.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is set to count for $74.5MM against the cap in 2026, and though the Ravens want to lower than number with an extension, past negotiations indicate such a deal will take time. Defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike has an uncertain future after a season-ending neck injury; if the Ravens have to part ways with him this offseason, they will have to account at least some of the dead money from his contract next year. Defensive tackle Travis Jones and tight end Isaiah Likely are also key young players who the Ravens would like to retain. In fact, Madubuike’s injury and the pending free agency of all three of Baltimore’s tight ends could make those Jones and Likely just as much of a priority as Linderbaum. That’s not even mentioning other contract situations with players like running back Keaton Mitchell and punter Jordan Stout, among others.
As a result, negotiating a Linderbaum extension is only one part of a complicated financial picture for the Ravens. Between a potential Jackson extension, clarity on Madubuike’s future, and negotiations with Jones, Likely, and Linderbaum, general manager Eric DeCosta will have his hands full for the next several months as his team navigates the rest of the 2025 season and prepares for 2026.