One would have been hard-pressed to find a fan of the Las Vegas Raiders who didn’t want to write a blank check to center Tyler Linderbaum at the onset of the 2026 NFL free agency period. The mindset was to overpay if you have to.
After all, the Raiders were armed with not only a ton of salary cap space, but also a need to spend cash to hit the CBA spending floor. Spending between $22 and $25 million per year on Linderbaum, his projected market value, was ideally going to be a part of that equation.
But when the contract details came in after Las Vegas put the glass slipper on Linderbaum during the legal tampering period, it was learned that the Silver and Black would be coughing up an average of $27 million per year.
That is a massive, massive contract that reset the center market by 150%. But Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has John Spytek and the front office’s back, as he explained why this “overpay” was actually worth every penny.
Albert Breer backs Raiders for massive Tyler Linderbaum contract
Breer appeared on the Dan Patrick Show last week to summarize the early portion of free agency. When host Dan Patrick asked Breer whether or not the Raiders spent their money wisely to start the week, Breer went into detail about the Linderbaum deal.
“So, they overspent on Tyler Linderbaum. But I think it was actually a good overspend,” Breer said. “Center is probably a more important position than guard, and especially in that offense. … Let’s say the value for Tyler Linderbaum was $23 or $24 million. Would you rather just spend the $3 million extra and get the player (rather) than risk losing him to the Commanders or the Browns or whoever was in it if you’re the Raiders? $3 million isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, and if you’ve gotta overpay because you haven’t been winning, then go ahead and do it.”
It would have been ridiculous for a team like Las Vegas, which sorely lacks young talent, especially on the offensive line, and has all the financial resources in the world, to be cheap and lose out on an elite player like Linderbaum. Fortunately, Spytek understood that.
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Later in his answer, Breer touched more on the importance of the center position in new head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense, and how this major investment isn’t just a commitment to Linderbaum.
“In that offense, they put a lot mentally on the center, right? The center is a huge part of the pre-snap operation when it comes to setting protections and all that stuff. That takes stuff off the plate of the quarterback, so by investing in Linderbaum, I think you’re investing in Mendoza. So, that’s why I like that move. I think it’s a scheme fit, and it helps you with your young quarterback.”
Can you put a price on investing in your young quarterback? Fans know that the Raiders probably spent a bit too much on Linderbaum, but what was their other option? To let him slip through their fingers?
Las Vegas was clearly in a bidding war, and the market is what the market is. Raider Nation should just be glad that Linderbaum is on The Dark Side, no matter the cost. He didn’t prevent the team from getting better elsewhere, and Breer thinks he’ll be worth his weight in gold.