The Las Vegas Raiders should be major players during the 2026 NFL offseason. Las Vegas holds the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and is expected to land QB Fernando Mendoza. One NFL insider believes the Raiders could make some big moves in free agency to help set Mendoza up for success during his rookie season.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler declared that the Raiders should be one of the most active teams during NFL free agency next week.
“Similar situation to Tennessee — a bad roster with a ton of cap space to improve it. Expect the Raiders to be in on some of the top interior offensive linemen such as Tyler Linderbaum or Zion Johnson, as well as defensive reinforcements,” Fowler wrote on Wednesday. “Whether edge rusher Maxx Crosby is traded or not will inform their direction, too.”
Linderbaum is by far the best free agent center heading into the new league year. The Ravens center is coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons and is set to cash in for a huge payday.
According to Spotrac, Linderbaum has a market value of roughly $17.7 million per season. Linderbaum would be one of the highest-paid centers in the league if he landed a contract in that range.
Offering such a contract should be no problem for the Raiders. After all, they enter the offseason with $88.11 million in cap space.
But the Raiders will not be the only suitors looking to land the young superstar.
The Ravens are doing everything they can in an attempt to hold onto Linderbaum. Baltimore reportedly offered Linderbaum a “market-setting” contract at the end of February.
The fact that Linderbaum has yet to sign an extension with the Ravens is telling. Perhaps Linderbaum wants to test his market in free agency, which could result in getting an even larger contract offer.
Ultimately, the Raiders may need offer well over $18 million per season to land Linderbaum. But the Pro Bowl center should be worth every penny, especially with the Raiders set to add a rookie quarterback in April's draft.
