Despite the chaos of the Maxx Crosby saga, the Las Vegas Raiders won the Tyler Linderbaum sweepstakes in free agency. It was perhaps in part of their original agreement with the Baltimore Ravens that Linderbaum was even available, and now the Raiders have both. It's hard to be too mad.
Linderbaum is a game-changing center whom everyone wanted, as the three-time Pro Bowler is only heading into his age-26 season. He's solid in pass protection and an absolute mauler in the run; they don't make centers as mobile as Linderbaum.
And while he certainly had no shortage of suitors and lucrative offers, Linderbaum chose the Silver and Black. Yes, Las Vegas had the upper hand, considering they had the most salary cap space in the league by a wide margin. Money always talks in the NFL.
But Linderbaum also sees the vision laid out by Klint Kubiak and John Spytek.
Tyler Linderbaum sure sounds excited to be on Klint Kubiak's Raiders
On Thursday, Linderbaum spent a good portion of the day at Raiders HQ fulfilling various media commitments. He signed his contract, took some pictures, and then met with Paul Gutierrez for a brief one-on-one, in which Linderbaum discussed why he chose Las Vegas.
"I think a big reason (for me) choosing the Raiders is just the belief of what we're trying to build here," Linderbaum explained. "The belief in Coach Kubak, John Spytek. The opportunity to build something special and be a part of it is what really drew me."
Now, a lot of free agents say something along these lines when they get to a new destination. But the fact that Raider Nation, too, believes in the vision makes it feel even more real. And perhaps more important is how Linderbaum fits into Kubiak's scheme, which will get them where they want to go.
"Coach Kubak's system is going to be a great fit for me. (I'm) really going to try to excel at the things that I'm good at," Linderbaum said. "Being a player, but also just bringing in leadership qualities and earning that trust from my teammates, from the coaches, and really trying to build something special."
This quote is straight out of the Kubiak playbook. Linderbaum isn't a flashy guy by any means, but he gets his job done better than almost anyone else in the league. He's a straight-forward, no-nonsense football guy, just like his new head coach. This is a match made in heaven.
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Linderbaum joined a slew of his new teammates -- Jalen Nailor, Kwity Paye and Quay Walker -- in a late-morning press conference following his sitdown with Gutierrez. He was asked again why he wanted to be a Raider, and he expanded on his earlier thoughts.
"Going through the process, (I was) just trying to find a team that's suitable to my skill sets. Coach Kubak, I'm excited (for) what he's going to build here," Linderbaum said. "(This situation is) something that I think will fit my play, and, obviously, just the whole organization in itself, I think is headed in the right direction and something that I want to be a part of; build this program into a championship-level team."
A championship-level team.
The Raiders?
Linderbaum sees the vision, and who are we to talk him out of it? This is the first time that fans actually believe a guy like Linderbaum when he says it, purely because all of the necessary moves are being made. This is the future that we've been promised so many times as fans. It's not far away.
One of his final quotes from the press conference truly says it all. He's only been in Las Vegas for a number of days, but he is already loving his experience as a Raider. And he thinks that the Silver and Black have the right people to finally turn this thing around.
"It's been awesome; already feels like home," Linderbaum said. "Everyone's been welcoming. State-of-the-art facility, unbelievable. The people here -- this is the right people to turn this thing around."
Let's hope he's right. But it's hard not to already get excited about the start of the Kubiak era.