A new report indicates that the Washington Commanders are set to make a huge push to land Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum.
The Baltimore Ravens have yet to re-sign center Tyler Linderbaum, and the market for centers has shrunk exponentially. With the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears, and Buffalo Bills landing their centers, the teams that need Linderbaum's services have shrunk.
That said, a new report has indicated that the Washington Commanders are a team that will make a huge push for Linderbaum.
Considering the deals that transpired ahead of free agency, the Ravens might be in a much better spot with Linderbaum. The highly touted offensive lineman was reportedly set to be offered a deal that exceeded $20 million per season, but that has not been corroborated.
Some reports even indicated the number could jump as high as $25 million. Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta indicated that the team offered Linderbaum a "market-setting" deal, but the details of that contract have not been revealed.
With the tampering period beginning on Monday, the Ravens need to find a way to re-sign Linderbaum, as there is one team willing to make a strong push.
Per NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Commanders will attempt to bring in Linderbaum.
"Should he not re-sign with the Ravens, there is a belief among teams that the #Commanders will heavily pursue C Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, per multiple sources. Washington recently released their starting center, Tyler Biadasz," Schultz wrote on X.
Since the Commanders released Tyler Biadasz, he signed a contract with the Chargers, leaving Washington without a starting center.
If Washington makes a strong push for Linderbaum, they could be in a major bidding war with the Ravens.
Another issue in the contract offer for Linderbaum is the Ravens have yet to give Lamar Jackson an extension, which is a major aspect of what could be holding up a deal for Linderbaum.
The quarterback has a $74.5 million cap hit, which is clearly not something the Ravens front office is prepared to accept. An extension will lower that number by a significant amount, allowing for the deal with Linderbaum to move forward.
Tampering begins tomorrow, and the league year will officially open on Wednesday. Though Baltimore and Linderbaum can strike a deal between now and then, the front office needs to find a way to make both the Jackson extension and the Linderbaum deal happen within the next 24 hours.
If they don't, the Commanders could be a major roadblock in the Pro Bowl center returning to Baltimore.