It's a new era in Las Vegas, and it's marked by some lavish spending. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the first overall pick and are expected to take Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, oozes upside and is expected to step in immediately as the franchise quarterback of the team.
With that in mind, the Raiders made a big move in preparation for Mendoza's arrival. Las Vegas surprised the NFL world by swooping in and signing center Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million deal. The former Baltimore Ravens center and All-Pro team member will now be tasked with protecting Mendoza once he's in the league.
Just how good is this deal for the Raiders and for Linderbaum himself? Let's analyze this deal.
Raiders take major first step in fixing offensive line
They say that the game of football is won in the trenches. When viewing the Raiders' season through that lens, it's easy to see why they lost so much in 2025. Las Vegas' offensive line was one of the worst units last season, grading out poorly across all metrics and with the eye test.
You don't need a fancy stat or a PFF grade to see just how bad the Raiders' offensive line was. All you have to do is look at how many sacks they allowed. Las Vegas allowed the most sacks last season, with 64 sacks. Geno Smith had issues even with a clean pocket, yes, but his offensive line did not do him any favors as well.
The worst pressure for a quarterback is when it comes from the interior, and the Raiders struggled in that regard. Alex Cappa was not a good starter at center, and yet he was somehow the best the Raiders could produce at that position. His other replacements (Jordan Meredith and Will Putnam) were somehow even worse, grading out much, much worse than Cappa.
Truly, there was nowhere to go but up for this Raiders offensive line. Not only are they going up after signing Linderbaum, but they're soaring to the skies. Linderbaum is considered to be one of the best, if not the best, centers in the NFL. His 63.4 pass blocking grade from PFF in 2025 is misleading, as the Ravens dealt with two turnstiles at guards in Daniel Faalele and Andrew Voorhees. ESPN's Pass Blocking Win Rate has him as the second-best interior offensive lineman, winning his pass-blocking reps a whopping 96.2%.
Not only is Linderbaum an elite pass-protector, but he also shines in the run game as well. Ashton Jeanty's rookie season was ruined by poor run-blocking concepts and atrocious execution from the offensive line. Linderbaum, on the other hand, is one of the engines behind a Ravens offense that ran the ball heavily with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. He should be able to block for Jeanty no problem.
Overall, this signing is a home run pick for the Raiders. It's a lot of money for an offensive lineman (and a center, no less), but that's exactly how you invest in your future quarterback.
Grade: A+
Tyler Linderbaum gets paid
As for Linderbaum, well, this is perhaps the best possible scenario for the star center. Every Ravens fan knew that keeping Linderbaum was going to be a tough ask. After playing four All-Pro caliber seasons, Linderbaum had every right to ask for a big contract. The Ravens, as much as they would have wanted to keep their star center, were strapped for cash and had no easy way of clearing out money for Linderbaum.
In the end, Linderbaum got a massive payday and then some. Before the Raiders signed Linderbaum, the highest-paid center in the league was Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey. Humphrey's average approximate value (AAV) sat at around $18 million. Linderbaum's contract blew that out of the water with a $27 million AAV. Additionally, all $81 million of Linderbaum's contract is guaranteed, with more than half of that being full guarantees.
Linderbaum was a center who got paid like a premium left tackle, and he deserved that contract. He's also going into a solid situation: the Raiders are not contenders yet, but they have an offensive-minded coach with two premium weapons in Jeanty and Brock Bowers, as well as an incoming star rookie quarterback in Mendoza. Give it two or three years, and the Raiders can find themselves back in playoff contention with Linderbaum at center.
Grade: A+
