The Ravens did not place a franchise or transition tag on Tyler Linderbaum on Tuesday, setting him up to hit the open market next week. He is expected to receive a massive contract, though perhaps not quite as much as he is seeking.
Linderbaum is aiming for $25MM per year in free agency, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, who expressed some doubt that the Pro Bowl center could hit that number. However, his next contract still reset the center market – currently capped by Creed Humphrey‘s $18MM AAV – by a significant margin.
Baltimore has been working to re-sign Linderbaum, but he (and his agent) know how many teams need a center and will gladly pay a premium price to land the best one to hit free agency in years.
The Ravens need to improve their offensive line this offseason, not downgrade it, but they also need to address their pass rush – another costly venture – with a limited budget. Getting into a bidding war for Linderbaum would be out of character for general manager Eric DeCosta, who prefers to fill needs with value signings during free agency.
If Linderbaum does not re-up with the Ravens, he will likely be the most coveted player in free agency. Drew Dalman‘s sudden retirement brought another club into a center market that was already crowded with buyers. Linderbaum’s agent will be able to play teams’ offers against each other and drive up his price tags, but teams will have a limit. Though he is one of the league’s best run-blockers, he is not elite in pass protection. Teams are unlikely to pay him like a top offensive tackle at $25MM or more, though breaking into the high end of the guard market seems within reach.
If the NFL & NFLPA don’t see a difference between all 5 OL positions (tag wise), why should guards and centers take lesser contracts?
Because most linemen can play on the interior. Far fewer have the physical traits, speed, agility, etc. to play Tackle. It’s a more specialized and demanding position.
but the point is the tag needs to reflect that then
That’s not their problem. They aren’t GM’s. Every other position; offense, defense, & ST have different tag prices; not OL. Again, it’s not the interior linemen to take the infamous ‘hometown discount’ because of their position.
It’s been well documented that tagged LB’s will argue in court how much they play on the line for DE salaries.
Way too rich for my blood if I’m Ryan Poles. Give me Biadasz for like 8-10 mil and spend the rest of that money on a safety/LB/pass rusher.
If he’s serious the Bears are out I’m pretty sure.
this is why the cap exploding is never helpful because it just goes to inflate contracts anyway