Head Coach Jesse Minter also said at the Combine that the Ravens would love to have Linderbaum return.
“I think he’s the best center in the league. I think he’s one of the best interior linemen in the league,” Minter said. “[A] major part of the team here. Somebody we’d love to have back… I think he knows how we feel about him and that we’d love to have him back. I think he’s a major piece of our offense. I think he fits really well in the direction that our offense is headed.”
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey, who signed a four-year deal worth $72 million ($18 million per year) in 2024, is currently the league’s highest-paid center.
DeCosta added that the Ravens will “probably not” use the franchise or transition tags on Linderbaum. The franchise tag for offensive linemen is projected to be just shy of $28 million in 2026, per OvertheCap.com.
Linderbaum said last month that he would “absolutely” like to stay with the Ravens. However, he’s also one of the league’s top pending free agents and is expected to draw significant interest if he hits the open market.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said during his pre-NFL Scouting Combine conference call with the media that he expects plenty of suitors in the Linderbaum sweepstakes.
“I love my job, but if I could switch jobs for just the next couple of months, I would want to be Tyler Linderbaum’s agent, because everybody that I’ve talked to seems to be in on Tyler Linderbaum,” Jeremiah said. “It sounds like he’s going to have a robust market, so congratulations to him and his family.”
The Ravens were in a similar position last offseason when left tackle Ronnie Stanley was about to hit the open market. Instead, the Ravens re-signed Stanley to a three-year deal two days before the start of free agency.
The NFL’s legal tampering period begins March 9, and the new league year (when players can officially sign with teams) starts March 11. If the Ravens are unable to re-sign Linderbaum, the Ravens could have three new starters along the offensive line next season.
