The Baltimore Ravens are hoping to keep center Tyler Linderbaum, but their chances of doing so just took a major hit.
Finding a solid center is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL, which is why the price for a potential extension for Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum continues to go up.
Linderbaum might reset the market on contracts for centers in a big way, especially after the shocking retirement of Pro Bowl Chicago Bears center Drew Dalman.
Dalman has chosen to hang up the cleats at the age of 27, leaving the Bears with a major hole on their offensive line.
With a postseason that nearly saw the Bears take down the Los Angeles Rams to advance to the NFC Championship, expect general manager Ryan Poles to make some big swings to keep the line from faltering.
Enter Linderbaum. The current Ravens center is reportedly demanding big money, which will exceed the $18 million per season that Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey is making.
Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta indicated that the team offered Linderbaum a "market-setting" offer, but there is no telling what they valued that contract at. If the center was offered something along the lines of $18.5 million per season, he would only just edge out Humphrey.
There have also been reports that Linderbaum can garner $20 million or more per season, which is a figure that the Ravens are reportedly not willing to pay.
This is all speculation currently, as none of this has been corroborated, minus DeCosta saying the front office offered Linderbaum a market-setting contract.
The Bears know all too well how important a strong offensive line is, and they did tons of work to ensure star quarterback Caleb Williams was protected in 2025. They did so by bringing in former Chiefs lineman Joe Thuney, who signed a two-year, $35 million contract in the 2025 offseason.
Chicago could pull off a similar move, bringing Linderbaum in to replace Dalman.
The good news for the Ravens is the Bears are currently in a $7 million deficit in their available cap space, while Baltimore sits at an $18 million surplus.
DeCosta and the front office have been diligently working to not only keep Linderbaum, but also extend quarterback Lamar Jackson to potentially help with keeping many pending free agents due to the cap space Jackson's deal will free up.
Despite all the reports pointing to the Ravens not wanting to or being able to afford a big extension for Linderbaum, nothing has yet been decided on that front.
The Ravens have time to figure things out, but Dalman's retirement may have juiced up the potential contract for Linderbaum, and added some much steeper competition for Baltimore to keep the center.