Roundtable Reactions: Ravens Lose Tyler Linderbaum To Raiders In Free Agency

Much of the Ravens’ offseason discourse this year has centered around center Tyler Linderbaum, and whether the three-time Pro Bowler would re-sign with the team or leave in free agency. We finally got the answer on Monday and it was the latter. Linderbaum agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders on a three-year, $81 million record-setting contract. Here are the Baltimore Beatdown staff’s reaction to the news.

An expected but still brutal blow to the weakest position group of the team. With all that being said, you cannot pay $27 million annually to a center while having a quarterback getting paid top dollar. Center immediately ascends toward the top of Eric DeCosta’s to-do list. With no first round pick and the top options already signed away in free agency, the Ravens may have to lean on a rookie to pair with Lamar Jackson. It has not been a great day for the Ravens. — Mark Myers

It’s a tough pill to swallow seeing Linderbaum leave the Ravens, but for a whopping $27 million per year, there is no world in which I could justify Baltimore matching the Raiders offer. Paying that much for any center is malpractice, let alone one who is not great in pass protection. Linderbaum will be missed but Eric DeCosta made the right decision here, even if it leaves the interior of the offensive line in a dire situation. I would like to see DeCosta address center with a veteran to at least compete with a high draft pick now. — Dustin Cox

It sucks to lose an athletic center who fits what they want to do so well. But this is an A+ non-signing for me. $27 million a year is insane and $9 million more than the next highest paid center Creed Humphrey, who is a better player. You simply can’t pay that amount to a center who has limitations and needs help in the pass game, no matter how good in the run game they are. Onto finding the replacement, which is likely where pick 45 in the draft is heading. — Zach Canter

While we all would have loved to see Linderbaum return to Baltimore, there is zero way to justify that price tag. Linderbaum has been a great player for the Ravens and it immediately leaves them with even more of a void in the interior of their offensive line, but I’m glad they didn’t match this offer. With most of the other notable free agent centers already poached, the Ravens will have to allocate a lot of draft ammo to address the guard and center positions. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens move up in the draft if they find a guard or center they like. — Stephen Bopst

In an ideal world, the Ravens could have retained Linderbaum on a relatively fair contract and not have to overpay massively. Unfortunately, that proved to be unattainable. Linderbaum is certainly one of the better centers in the league and a rightful three-time Pro Bowler. However, while it’s a hurtful loss for the Ravens, paying him a record $60 million guaranteed and $27 million annually was not worth the cost. The former first-round pick is an elite run blocker and has developed a strong rapport with Lamar Jackson, but he has limitations in pass protection as an undersized player. Even so, the Ravens now have a big hole to fill at an important spot and provide Jackson with a lead-man up front on the offensive line. There are still some veteran free agent options available or the team can use their second-round pick to find Linderbaum’s replacement. — Frank Platko