The Las Vegas Raiders opened free agency with a significant move, agreeing to terms with former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum on an $81 million contract that instantly reset the market at his position. The deal, which averages $27 million per year, is the largest ever for a center and signals a dramatic investment as the franchise begins its first season under new head coach Klint Kubiak.
Tyler Linderbaum’s Record Deal Fuels Renewed Criticism of the Franchise Tag
Las Vegas is banking on Linderbaum to become a foundational piece as they attempt to rebound from a difficult 2025 campaign that included a PFSN Offense Impact score of 56.3, ranking 31st in the league ahead of only the Cleveland Browns. For a team seeking stability and identity, the move represents a clear attempt to reshape the offense around a dominant interior presence.
Still, the magnitude of Linderbaum’s contract drew immediate scrutiny across the league. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio called the deal the biggest surprise of the opening day of free agency.
“Now that the dust has settled on the first day of free agency, the biggest surprise? The Raiders paying so much money to [former] Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but $27 million a year when the market was $18 million a year at the center position,” Florio said.
Biggest surprise of Day One of free agency? The Raiders blowing up the center market for Tyler Linderbaum. pic.twitter.com/hXwx2Qpdh6
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) March 10, 2026
“That is a 50 percent bump. I want to know who was second to the Raiders … did the Raiders have to pay a little extra just because of what the Raiders have become? And were they willing to do that, acknowledging this is what it takes to get a great player who will change the culture?”
Florio then used the moment to highlight a broader issue that has long fueled debate among players and analysts. Linderbaum’s ability to reach the open market without restrictions, he argued, is exactly why the franchise tag remains one of the league’s most controversial mechanisms.
“The other side of it is this. When you have a great player at his position who hits the market without the franchise tag, look at what happens. Look at what the market can do. This is one of the reasons why the franchise tag is so bad.
“It keeps the best players, for the most part, from getting to the market and making the market higher for everyone else,” Florio said. “That is what Linderbaum has done, thanks to the Raiders and their $81 million.”
For Las Vegas, the signing represents a bold attempt to accelerate a rebuild under Kubiak. For the league, it reignites a familiar conversation about whether the franchise tag suppresses true player value and prevents the market from evolving the way Linderbaum’s deal just did.
