The Las Vegas Raiders have been a very popular team since the offseason began and all signs point to the franchise being active in free agency.
All attention surrounding the Las Vegas Raiders has been regarding star defensive end Maxx Crosby and whether the team will hold onto him or trade him at some point before the 2026 season.
John Spytek, general manager of the Raiders, told reporters last week that he fully anticipates Crosby being a Raider next season but there is heavy interest around the National Football League and it’s probably more likely that the organization moves on to fuel the rebuild.
Although the team is entering a rebuild under a new regime that includes new head coach Klint Kubiak, former Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator fresh off a Super Bowl win, the Raiders have tons of salary cap space and need to start building from the ground up.
That starts in free agency, and the expectation around the league is that the Raiders will be active ahead of drafting Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first-overall pick at the draft in April.
“Similar situation to Tennessee -- a bad roster with a ton of cap space to improve it,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote Wednesday. “Expect the Raiders to be in on some of the top interior offensive linemen such as Tyler Linderbaum or Zion Johnson, as well as defensive reinforcements. Whether edge rusher Maxx Crosby is traded or not will inform their direction, too.”
The Raiders have around $90 million available to spend on whatever and whoever it sees fit, and there may be no better position group to address than the offensive line, especially at center. That screams making Linderbaum, the former Baltimore Ravens center, the highest-paid center in the sport.
The 25-year-old three-time Pro Bowl selection was excellent with the Ravens as a four-year starter. He was the fifth-highest graded center by Pro Football Focus (PFF) out of 40 qualifiers at the position, posting an overall grade of 80.2 with a run-block grade of 83.7 (fourth-best).
Linderbaum is expected to set the market and surpass the $18 million average annual value that Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey earns.
“The question is how much he'll exceed the $18 million per year currently made by the Chiefs' Creed Humphrey as part of the largest center contract in history,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote Wednesday. “Linderbaum has shined in multiple iterations of the Ravens' running game and has several teams lined up for his services, should he successfully get out of Baltimore.”
This would be the best course of action for a team that needs to protect its future QB, as the Raiders had the worst offensive line in 2025 according to PFF. Building up the trenches will ensure Mendoza is protected as he develops in his first NFL season and also allow the offensive playmakers to flourish.
The Raiders finished the 2025 season as the worst scoring team in the league, averaging just over 14 points per game. There are holes everywhere on the team, but you need to score points to win – bolstering the offensive line will definitely help that cause.