The New York Giants got an update on the Tyler Linderbaum NFL free agency market on the evening of February 19, and it wasn’t good news.
After an offseason media session with NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah, New York Post reporter Ryan Dunleavy relayed the following.
“The Tyler Linderbaum free-agent sweepstakes is going to be huge,” the reporter noted. “[Jeremiah] joked that he would like to be Linderbaum’s agent because every team he talks to is interested.”
Dunleavy added that this is “bad news for [the] Giants.”
Giants Could Be Priced Out of Tyler Linderbaum Bidding War If Center Takes Best Offer in NFL Free Agency
GettyBaltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum is expected to hit the open market in NFL free agency.
Make no mistake, the Giants’ best chance to sign Linderbaum is a hometown discount.
Obviously, the soon-to-be 26-year-old center has never suited up for the Giants, but he has spent his entire NFL career with former Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. So, the aforementioned “hometown discount” would be for Harbaugh himself, not the Big Blue franchise.
Still, it would have the same effect.
The Giants won’t get anywhere by lowballing Linderbaum, but they need some sort of advantage, given they aren’t positioned to offer the most money. Linderbaum’s desire to remain with Harbaugh — if such a desire exists — is that advantage.
Otherwise, the three-time Pro Bowler will almost certainly take more money elsewhere.
The Giants are currently projected to have just over $5.147 million in available cap space, according to Over the Cap, although cap-clearing moves are coming. It’s not the worst financial situation in the NFL, but it’s not good either.
For example, OL-needy franchises like the Tennessee Titans, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Chargers each lead the league with over $80 million in available cap space. The Titans’ 103.5 million-plus currently ranks first for 2026.
Needless to say, if Linderbaum goes with the best offer in terms of financial guarantees, there’s very little chance the Giants get him.
Daniel Jeremiah News Confirms Giants Fan Fears
This update from Jeremiah isn’t exactly shocking, but it does confirm a fear among Giants fans.
Linderbaum is a perfect fit for the G-Men as Harbaugh lays a new foundation around quarterback Jaxson Dart. But the Giants may not have the cap space to secure him.
On the bright side, general manager Joe Schoen has done a good job of avoiding dead money to this point, with just $216,804 in dead money in 2026. That means that there are plenty of opportunities to clear cap space, should Harbaugh and the Giants choose to get aggressive on a big fish like Linderbaum.
Having said that, they could free up $75 million in cap space and still come up short of the Titans, Raiders, and Chargers. The real question is, how much is enough?
Is there a salary number that Linderbaum is comfortable with? Even if it’s not the best offer he gets.
The highest-paid center in the sport in terms of average annual salary is Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro Creed Humphrey, who makes $18 million per year. Humphrey’s deal also tops the charts for total money ($72 million) and guaranteed money ($50.315 million) at the position.
Although Linderbaum doesn’t have quite the resume of Humphrey yet, one would assume that his minimum goal is to reset the center market. That means somewhere just over $18 million per year is likely the floor of a Linderbaum contract, with around $50 million-plus in guaranteed money.
It remains to be seen if the Giants have the appetite for that type of megadeal.
Giants Get ‘Bad News’ on Tyler Linderbaum Pursuit Ahead of NFL Free Agency