According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum is expected to be the top free agent target for the Chargers if he makes it to unrestricted free agency.
Center has been a sore spot for a few seasons now and Linderbaum is one of the two or three best in the league right now. Chargers GM Joe Hortiz was also part of the Ravens’ front office that drafted Linderbaum.
Because of how the franchise tag is calculated, the Ravens are unlikely to franchise Linderbaum, meaning he has a path to maximizing his value on the open market if Baltimore can’t lock him up with an extension first.
The Giants and new HC John Harbaugh are also expected to have significant interest in Linderbaum.
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.
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