Even with plenty of money to spend in free agency, the Las Vegas Raiders were sure to focus their financial efforts on a few key areas. With the center position being a vital cog in Klint Kubiak's offense, Tyler Linderbaum was easily on the radar if they could beat out other well-heeled suitors to sign him.
The Raiders indeed ponied up to get the top free agent center, giving Linderbaum what amounts to a fully guaranteed three-year, $81 million contract. That $27 million per-year average, of course, reset the top of the center market by a significant margin.
Las Vegas may have had to overpay to get Linderbaum, with some proverbial "tax" for not exactly being a winning team. But if he is as good a fit as it seems he is, and more games are won, no one will say it wasn't worth it.
Even before Linderbaum has taken the practice field for the Raiders, no one will go all the way to say they disliked the move to pay him so handsomely.
Well, almost no one.
Raiders fans have finally found someone who isn't fully on-board with the Tyler Linderbaum signing
ESPN's Ben Solak was generally complimentary of what the Raiders have done in free agency, ranking their 2026 class seventh out of the 32 teams. But in the "I didn't love" category, when there was clearly a better option to consider, he chose the move to pay Linderbaum the way they did.
"Paying Linderbaum 150% of Creed Humphrey's deal. All of the context behind the Linderbaum number makes perfect sense. The Raiders had money to burn. They prioritized center because of their incoming rookie quarterback. Center was wrongfully a cheaper market than guard and deserved a splash of cash. All totally sound. He's going to make the team better.
"With that said, $27 million per year is an enormous leap, and it's basically all guaranteed. This is one of the biggest "agent win" deals of the cycle. Even with all the data considered, I simply would not have done this deal for Linderbaum were I in general manager John Spytek's shoes."
The contract Linderbaum got, as details have continued to come out, was undeniably a win for his agent, too. But it can also be a huge win for the Raiders, and the start of a lengthy relationship as Linderbaum enters his age-26 season, if Las Vegas plays its cards right.
Any team that resets the market at a position by ponying up for a player invites downside risk automatically. And the extent to which the Raiders did it with Linderbaum naturally invites scrutiny. But no one can harsh Raider Nation's buzz about their new center right now.