Raiders torched by analyst for massive $81 million free agent signing originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Las Vegas Raiders were one of the most active teams during the initial wave of free agency.
It’s understandable, considering the team tied for the worst record in the league last year, so there are plenty of holes to fill. Some of the moves include signing linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker, and wide receiver Jalen Nailor.
However, perhaps the most eye-popping move the Raiders made was signing center Tyler Linderbaum. The Raiders definitely need a center, so the fit makes sense on paper. However, the team gave Linderbaum a three-year deal worth a whopping $81 million with $60 million guaranteed.
Most analysts like the Linderbaum signing, but many scoffed at that market-resetting price. Ethan Woodie of NFL Trade Rumors went as far as to list the signing as one of the six worst deals of free agency.
Regarding the signing, Woodie offered the following analysis:
As the cap grows over time and the league makes more and more money, player contracts get larger. That’s not a surprise. But Linderbaum making $27 million a year is still an absurd jump for the center position. Were the Raiders forced to pay him that much to make sure he didn’t sign elsewhere? That’s possible, even likely, but while the Raiders can afford a bloated contract on their books right now, that doesn’t make it a good one.
As Woodie mentioned, the Linderbaum deal represents a huge jump in salary for the center position. Linderbaum is now making $9 million more annually than Creed Humphrey, who was previously the highest-paid center.
It’s definitely possible the Raiders had to pay Linderbaum extra to get him to sign with the franchise, but that’s an easy way to get put in a bad spot. With this much guaranteed money, Linderbaum essentially needs to be the best center in the league for the next few seasons.
In 2025, Linderbaum played over 1,000 snaps and earned an 80.2 grade from Pro Football Focus, which ranked fifth out of 40 qualified centers. Meanwhile, Jordan Meredith, who was the center for the Raiders in 2025, finished ranked 32nd out of 40.
Linderbaum is obviously an upgrade over Meredith, but do centers impact winning enough to justify this price point? The Raiders still have a ton of holes and they may end up regretting sinking so much money into a non-premium position.
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