Based on the contract that the Las Vegas Raiders ended up giving center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, it’s clear that there was a lot of interest in him. The team is paying him $27 million a year, which is $9 million more annual salary than the second-highest-paid center.
The Raiders didn’t only have to spend big, but they also had to give Linderbaum more concessions. According to Spotrac, the Pro Bowl center’s contract includes a no-tag clause for the 2029 season.
What that means is that the Raiders cannot place the franchise tag on Linderbaum when his contract expires. They’ll have to either extend him before he hits free agency or hope to re-sign him once his contract expires.
The Raiders aren’t a franchise that has typically utilized the franchise tag, but it could make it more difficult to keep Linderbaum in the future. He has already proven he’s willing to play hardball to get the biggest contract possible.
The Raiders wanted him badly enough to make some concessions, and now he’ll have a chance to go back into free agency when he’s 28. It’s a really smart long-term play for Linderbaum to make, but it could lead to the Raiders having to look for another new center in a few years.
Ravens’ Final Offer for Linderbaum Revealed
The Baltimore Ravens may have been the Raiders’ biggest competition for Linderbaum in free agency. He was a first-round pick of the team and made multiple Pro Bowls.
They clearly wanted him back, but had a threshold they weren’t willing to break. ESPN’s Ryan McFadden revealed the Ravens’ final offer for Linderbaum.
“A source said the Ravens had offered Linderbaum a four-year, $88 million deal,” McFadden wrote. “When the 25-year-old interior lineman decided to go to Las Vegas, Baltimore thought it could commit the money meant for Linderbaum to another elite pass rusher to potentially pair with Crosby.”
While the overall number was bigger than what the Raiders offered, they gave him a much higher annual salary. It seems like Linderbaum really only wanted a three-year deal, so he could test free agency again before he’s in his 30s.
More Intel on Ravens-Maxx Crosby
The Ravens and Raiders had an agreement in place to trade defensive end Maxx Crosby to Baltimore when Las Vegas signed Linderbaum. The Raiders weren’t expecting to have Crosby’s massive salary cap hit on the books.
However, the Ravens backed out and sent Crosby back to Las Vegas. According to McFadden, the Ravens were worried that Crosby’s knee injury could be a long-term issue.
“The consensus was that Crosby would be able to play in 2026,” McFadden wrote. “The Ravens’ concern centered on the uncertainty of Crosby’s durability after a couple of seasons in Baltimore because of a degenerative issue in his knee, a source told ESPN.”
Crosby is recovering from meniscus surgery, so it wasn’t a surprise that his knee wasn’t in a great spot. Time will tell if the Ravens’ concerns are real. Regardless, people will continue to accuse them of getting cold feet and using the knee as an excuse.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Tyler Linderbaum’s Raiders Contract Contains Eye-Opening Clause appeared first on Heavy Sports.