The Ravens and Raiders have flip-flopped stars in the past few days. On Saturday, Baltimore traded for star defensive end Maxx Crosby and sent two first-round picks to the Raiders in return. Then on Monday after the start of free agency, the Raiders agreed to a three-year, $81 million deal with former Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. The deal includes $60 million guaranteed, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
This makes Linderbaum the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history.
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This is a big move for Las Vegas as it anticipates to have Linderbaum protecting the projected No. 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza in the future. The Indiana standout and Heisman Trophy winner is expected to go first overall in this year’s draft, and Las Vegas holds the top draft spot. Linderbaum, a three-time Pro Bowler in the last three seasons, is the perfect get for Las Vegas to help protect its No. 1 quarterback.
Linderbaum will work with new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak as the team fired Pete Carroll following just one season in Las Vegas.
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Raiders quarterback situation becomes more clear
Las Vegas released Geno Smith last Friday after one season with the Raiders. Smith threw for 3,025 yards, 19 touchdowns and 17 interceptions as the Raiders went 3-14. Smith was notably sacked 55 times last season, the most in his career for a single season. It’s good the Raiders got help on the offensive line from a three-time Pro Bowler.
As for the future QB1, Raiders general manager John Spytek didn’t specify if the team plans to start Mendoza right off the bat if they draft him this spring. The team wants to be sure that Mendoza is ready to start in Week 1 and don’t want to make any assumptions heading into the season.
The Raiders could be eyeing to acquire a veteran quarterback to join the roster in order to help mentor Mendoza during his rookie season. Some of those options include Kirk Cousins, Joe Flacco, Marcus Mariota and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Ravens attempted to keep Linderbaum
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta shared during the NFL combine that the team made a “strong push” to keep Linderbaum in Baltimore. The Ravens offered the center a “market-setting offer,” DeCosta noted.
Here’s what he said at the time:
"He's proven to be, in my opinion, the best center in the league," DeCosta said, via ESPN. "We've had conversations since the end of the season ... and hopefully we can get something done with him between now and the start of the new league year."
New Ravens coach Jesse Minter also praised Linderbaum and expressed hope to keep him in Baltimore.
"I think he knows how we feel about him and that we'd love to have him back," Minter said. "He's a major piece of our offense. I think he fits really well into the direction our offense is headed."
The previous highest-paid center in the league was the Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year, $72 million extension in 2024 to earn him $18 million per season. Linderbaum will now earn a whopping $27 million annually with his Raiders deal. Although the Ravens’ exact offer hasn’t been released, it doesn’t seem like Baltimore was willing to give up that much money to retain Linderbaum.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Raiders Land Ravens Center Tyler Linderbaum Days After Maxx Crosby Trade.
