It’s no exaggeration to say that Tyler Linderbaum is the best center to hit the free agent market in a long time. Even in the modern era of positional value driving these conversations, it’s rare for arguably the best player at his position to be available to the highest bidder. Teams usually prefer to lock up their homegrown studs and keep them in-house, but the Ravens declined to use the franchise tag on Linderbaum when they couldn’t agree to an extension.

Linderbaum is in the conversation for the best center in the league, alongside Chiefs C Creed Humphrey. With an excellent 83.7 PFF grade in 2025, Linderbaum has been a model of consistency since entering the league, with his lowest grade coming in 2023 at 78.6. A former first-round pick out of Iowa, Linderbaum is an elite mover at the center position and a phenomenal zone run blocker. He can be overwhelmed at the point of attack in pass protection at times due to his size, but that is a minor footnote on an otherwise exceptional resume.

Currently, Humphrey is the league’s highest-paid center at $18 million per year. Reports indicated that the Ravens offered Linderbaum a “market setting” contract before the franchise tag deadline, but he declined to accept it. He believes he can get more than $20 million per year on the open market, and it sounds like the Ravens don’t want to go that high on a new contract.

Given that Humphrey signed his extension with the Chiefs two years ago, it should come as no surprise that Linderbaum can comfortably out-earn him. It’s unlikely that Linderbaum pushes to the top of the guard market — which is currently paced by Cowboys LG Tyler Smith at $24 million per year — but that $20 million mark is one he should easily clear.

Linderbaum, 25, was a three-year starter at Iowa and earned first-team All-American honors in 2021 and 2020, to go along with a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, second-team All-Big Ten in 2020, and an honorable mention in 2019.

The Ravens used the No. 25 overall pick on him in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He was entering the final year of a four-year, $13,238,286 contract that included a $6,807,844 signing bonus when the Ravens declined his fifth-year option, projected to be worth $23.4 million fully guaranteed for the 2026 season.

Linderbaum is slated to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026. 

In 2025, Linderbaum appeared in all 17 games for the Ravens and started all 17 games at center. Pro Football Focus had him graded as the No. 4 center out of 37 qualifying players. 

We have him included in our Top 100 2026 Free Agents list. 

Los Angeles Chargers

There are two teams (aside from Baltimore) frequently connected to Linderbaum in free agency. The Chargers are one of them, for many reasons. First, they need a new center. Even before their former starter Bradley Bozeman retired, Los Angeles was in the market for an upgrade. Poor offensive line play was what held the Chargers back from being one of the AFC’s best teams last year, and while their issues at tackle were due to injuries, their interior offensive line was a big problem even when healthy.

But with Bozeman’s retirement, the Chargers are even more desperate. Reports indicate that they intend to spend money fixing the problem this year, and Linderbaum is an obvious connection. Not only is Chargers HC Jim Harbaugh the brother of Linderbaum’s former coach in Baltimore, John Harbaugh, but GM Joe Hortiz was part of the Baltimore front office when Linderbaum was drafted. The center would also be a great fit in Chargers OC Mike McDaniel’s scheme. It’s a natural connection.

With the third-most cap space in the league at $84.48 million, the Chargers can spend big if they want to. I doubt any team in the market for a starting center would be able to straight-up outbid the Chargers, not if Los Angeles was willing to keep upping the price. Even if Linderbaum pushes into the $22 or $23 million range, the Chargers should still be interested.

New York Giants

The other team with an obvious Linderbaum connection would be the Giants. John Harbaugh is the new head man in New York after the Ravens let him go and he seems eager to reconnect with his old center. Multiple reports have connected Linderbaum to the Giants in free agency and the Giants do need some upgrades along their offensive line.

Unlike the Chargers, the Giants don’t have quite as glaring a need at center as they do at other spots. They spent a second-round pick on C John Michael Schmitz Jr. out of Minnesota a few years ago, and though he improved in 2025, it’s been an underwhelming rookie campaign for him. Fifth-round OL Marcus Mbow out of Purdue had a nice rookie season, mostly filling in at tackle due to injuries, but he might project best long-term on the interior, specifically at center.

Still, there’s no doubt that Linderbaum is a level of talent beyond those two options. If the Giants want to sign Linderbaum, then Schmitz and Mbow can fill in around him or settle into backup roles. With just $1.80 million in cap space at the moment, New York has some work to do to fit Linderbaum on their books. They could restructure veterans like ED Brian Burns and LT Andrew Thomas to clear the necessary space, but if they get into a straight bidding war with the likes of the Chargers, they may not have the available funds to keep up.

Baltimore Ravens

A return to the Ravens is still very much in the cards for Linderbaum, though it probably requires his market to be a little cooler than he’s expecting. As discussed in the opener, the Ravens don’t want to go above the $20 million per year mark Linderbaum is looking for, but they may be forced to by sheer necessity.

The Ravens have about $18.56 million in available cap space, with some simple restructures available to free up more. The issue is, they have a looming contract problem with two-time MVP QB Lamar Jackson, whose contract voids after 2027. Baltimore is working towards an extension with him (which would likely free up more cap space in addition to locking up long-term) but until they finalize that, their funds might be in a state of limbo.

Then there’s the fact that the interior of the Ravens’ offensive line was already an issue with Linderbaum in the fold, let alone without him. Baltimore is expected to devote resources to upgrading that group this offseason, and losing one of the league’s best centers isn’t a good way to go about that. They’ve been working hard to retain him, but if there’s a number they won’t exceed on a new deal, that may be that.

Other teams to watch: Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns