The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with center Tyler Linderbaum to make him the highest-paid at the position in the NFL.
The Las Vegas Raiders were rumored to be active in free agency and have started it off with a bang.
According to Schefter, not only is Linderbaum the highest-paid center, he is the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history. He was expected to set the market with a deal in the range of $20-25 million average annual value, and he agrees to sign for $27 million per year.
Las Vegas had a horrible 2025 campaign that saw the team finish 3-14 and land the coveted No. 1 pick in the NFL draft this season, which they will be using on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza. The most obvious need for the Raiders was bolstering the offensive line that ranked dead-last by Pro Football Focus (PFF) a season ago and adding not only the top free agent center but one of the best in the league to the interior sets Mendoza up for immediate success.
There is still lots of work to do for the Raiders this offseason but bringing Linderbaum in and not letting him slip away was an important building block. The Raiders also re-signed cornerback Eric Stokes to a three-year, $30 million deal and brought in former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Nailor on a three-year, $35 million deal, showing the organization means business this year.
The Raiders entered the offseason with nearly $90 million of salary cap space to work with before trading star defensive end Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, which freed up an additional $31 million. Coincidentally, the Raiders poached Linderbaum from the Ravens just days after the Ravens acquired Crosby.
“The Baltimore Ravens made Linderbaum a strong offer, about $20 million, a little more per year but started on a five-year deal,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said via The Insiders. “My understanding is that the term was more important here than anything else. When the Raiders went to three years and were willing to do a three-year deal, this thing was simply happening to the Las Vegas Raiders.”
Linderbaum is now the highest-paid center for good reason; he was graded as the fifth-best center in 2025 by PFF and is extremely valuable in the run game, something the Raiders struggled with mightily. The trickle effect meant that standout running back Ashton Jeanty wasn’t as effective as the team hoped he would be in his rookie season.
Linderbaum will be a pivotal player in transforming an offense that produced just 14.2 points per game last season.