Tyler Linderbaum signed a three-year, $81 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason. The contract includes $60 million fully guaranteed at signing, making him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history with an average annual value of $27 million.
Understanding that the Silver and Black were drafting a young QB in Fernando Mendoza, the team decided to splurge on a center this offseason to anchor their offensive line for the next three seasons.
Despite being a key player for the Baltimore Ravens on their offensive line, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic noted that the team weren’t in the radar of giving Linderbaum what the Raiders did in free agency.
“I don’t think that changed too much, only because of the way the Ravens approach free agency,” Zrebiec wrote in a July 1 mailbag article. “They put a value on their own players and they don’t often substantially deviate from it. They never got close to re-signing Tyler Linderbaum. That ship sailed when he hit free agency.
Moreover, once the Ravens decided that Linderbaum was out of their financial reach, they opted to use their salary cap space differently rather than keeping their center.
“I think there was interest in keeping guys like Dre’Mont Jones, Jordan Stout, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, but there was also an understanding that they’d probably get more elsewhere than the Ravens wanted to pay and the team wanted to get younger and cheaper in areas,” Zrebiec added in his article.
Tim Brown Gets Blunt on Raiders’ Offseason
Armed with plenty of salary cap space, the Raiders were aggressive in free agency, landing one of the NFL’s top centers in Tyler Linderbaum. Las Vegas also bolstered its roster by adding Jalen Nailor on offense and Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker on defense.
On the June 24 edition of “The Jim Rome Show,” former Raiders wide receiver Tim Brown shared his honest thoughts on the team’s offseason with training camp and the preseason on the horizon.
“I think they have a really good chance,” Brown said. “I think they had the best offseason; I told the GM there, I said, ‘Man, this is the best offseason since y’all drafted me back in the day.’ Really, I thought some of the guys they brought in, the defensive linemen and the offensive linemen, were solid pieces that will help this football team win games in critical situations.”
Kolton Miller Gives Injury Update Ahead of 2026 Season
Meanwhile, along with Linderbaum, the Raiders are hoping that Kolton Miller can stay healthy to be a pillar on the offensive line. On May 20, the veteran offensive lineman spoke to the media and shared the latest on his health situation after an ankle injury ended his 2025 season.
“Feeling good,” Miller told reporters. “Feels good to be back out there with the guys. I’m really, really excited and enjoying the process.”
Last season, Miller played through Week 4 before being injured in the loss to the Chicago Bears. Nonetheless, it looked as though he was heading toward an impressive season. Miller played 250 total snaps before his injury, leading to an 86.5 PFF grade. He only allowed four total pressures in pass protection and one QB hit.
Raiders Get Blunt Tyler Linderbaum Message From Ravens Insider