The Las Vegas Raiders have had big questions at center for the past year, but those questions have been answered. The team decided to make Tyler Linderbaum the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history.
He’s only 25, so there’s a chance he could be the Raiders’ starting center for the next decade. Another outcome of the Linderbaum addition is that Jackson Powers-Johnson finally has clarity on his position.
He was a center for the most part in college, but the Raiders drafted him to be a guard. However, the team dealt with injuries during his rookie year, so they moved him to center. He played well, but the team decided to move him back to guard under Pete Carroll.
Powers-Johnson played well at times before getting hurt, but never seemed to vibe with Carroll’s coaching staff. There was speculation that the Raiders could trade him after the Linderbaum signing, but it looks like he’s getting a fresh start with the new coaching staff.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders still have plans for the former second-round pick.
“The Raiders plan to play Jackson Powers-Johnson at guard after the acquisition of Tyler Linderbaum. They don’t plan to trade him,” Fowler wrote on X.
Powers-Johnson Reacts to Linderbaum Signing
Powers-Johnson has been open-minded about which position he plays at the NFL level, but it has seemed that he is partial to center. For whatever reason, the Raiders haven’t liked him there.
The fact that they gave Linderbaum $27 million a year suggests that they don’t see Powers-Johnson as a center. That said, he has remained a team player through some ups and downs.
After the news broke of Linderbaum’s signing, Powers-Johnson expressed excitement on social media.
While it’s possible Powers-Johnson is disappointed that he won’t be playing center, he has to understand that Linderbaum’s addition makes his job easier in the long run. Adding the three-time Pro Bowler will make the entire offensive line better. Powers-Johnson has All-Pro upside at guard, so if he can put it all together this season, he could be a breakout star for the Raiders.
Raiders Receive ‘B+’ for Linderbaum Signing
Linderbaum is a high-end player and one of the best centers in the NFL, but the center market isn’t usually very strong. Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey was the previous highest-paid center, making $18 mllion a year.
The Raiders are paying Linderbaum nearly $10 million a year more. It’s a fair argument that the team overpaid Linderbaum, but Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports still gave the Raiders a “B+” for landing the Pro Bowler.
“The way the Raiders reset the market at center is stunning, but Linderbaum wasn’t signing cheap,” Schwab wrote. “He’s a top interior lineman and that will be a big help to Fernando Mendoza, the Indiana quarterback who is an overwhelming favorite to be the first overall pick of the draft to the Raiders. The Raiders still have work to do on the line, and have significantly less money now to make other additions, but it’s hard to deny they added a high quality player regardless of the price.”
Raiders’ Plans for Jackson Powers-Johnson Leak After Tyler Linderbaum Signing