The Las Vegas Raiders wasted almost no time retooling their roster once the legal tampering period of free agency opened on Monday. Their first major move was to sign former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, a multi-time Pro Bowler who is still just 25 years old.
Given the immense market that he had, Linderbaum wasn't going to be cheap. Raider Nation was ready to pay close to $25 million for the free agent prize, but they blew that projection out of the water when they gave Linderbaum a three-year, $81 million deal.
That's $27 million per year, on average.
Las Vegas and Linderbaum collectively reset the center market by a whopping $9 million in average annual value, forever changing the way that teams pay and view centers. But the deal isn't as crazy as some think. It may actually be a steal.
Raiders somehow reset the market and got a steal in Tyler Linderbaum
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero came through with the advanced details for Linderbaum's contract. Fans were wondering how the Raiders were set to pay so much for free agents on the open market on Monday, and Pelissero's intel about Linderbaum's deal explains how.
Details on Tyler Linderbaum's three-year, $81 million deal with the Raiders:
$20M signing bonus
$10M 2026 salary (fully gtd)
$30M 2027 salary (fully gtd)
$21M 2028 salary (injury gtd)
Linderbaum's 2028 salary becomes fully guaranteed next March, so he likely makes all $81M.
So, Linderbaum's deal is effectively fully-guaranteed. But that's okay for an elite player heading into their age-26 season who has only missed two games across four campaigns. That is as close to a gambling lock as an NFL general manager can make. Yes, it's a lot for a center.
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But only having to pay Linderbaum $10 million in 2026 salary is massive for the Raiders' chances to build in this free agency period. Yes, his $20 million signing bonus will be prorated against the cap, but John Spytek structured the deal so it is more team-friendly on the front end.
With the extra salary cap space made available, Las Vegas has been active signing players like Jalen Nailor, Kwity Paye, Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean, as well as re-signing Raiders like Eric Stokes and Malcolm Koonce.
Linderbaum should be happy that he will get $20 million in his pocket when the league year begins on Wednesday, and he shouldn't care as much about the salary cap implications. The Raiders should be thrilled that Linderbaum costs roughly $17 million this year, which is a steal for a player of his caliber.
Plus, it makes Las Vegas' salary cap situation a bit more fluid over the next few years, even if Linderbaum has a hefty salary cap hit in 2027. There is essentially one brutal financial commitment in this contract, and the rest is incredibly smooth.
Spytek is a veteran in just Year 2.