Raiders, center Tyler Linderbaum agree to three-year deal worth $81 million: Sources

Three-time Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum on Monday agreed to a three-year free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders worth $81 million that includes $60 million in guarantees, league sources told The Athletic’s Dianna Russini.

Linderbaum was ranked No. 5 among The Athletic’s top 150 free agents and was the top center — and offensive lineman — available.

Linderbaum’s journey to entering the 2026 offseason as an unrestricted free agent after four years in the NFL is multi-layered. The Baltimore Ravens selected Linderbaum with their second of two first-round picks in 2022, at No. 25. Linderbaum was a highly touted prospect coming out of Iowa and was the first center to be taken in his draft class. Since entering the league, Linderbaum has been as advertised, if not better.

Linderbaum has been the anchor in the middle of Baltimore’s offensive line. In three of his four seasons, he’s started all 17 games in the regular season. He was a Day 1 starter as a rookie and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. In the following three seasons — 2023, 2024 and 2025 — Linderbaum was selected to the Pro Bowl. The Ravens’ offense continued to flourish after adding Linderbaum in 2022, with quarterback Lamar Jackson taking home MVP honors in 2023.

Despite the consistency and durability from Linderbaum, the Ravens declined his fifth-year option last offseason. Under the current NFL rules, the fifth-year option is the same for any offensive lineman, even though there’s a significant discrepancy between how a center is paid as opposed to a left tackle. If Baltimore had picked up Linderbaum’s fifth-year option, his 2026 salary would be the highest among NFL centers by over $5 million.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said at the time of declining the fifth-year option that the team’s intention was to sign Linderbaum to a long-term extension and ahead of free agency this year said the team had made a “market-setting” offer in hopes of keeping him in Baltimore.