Ravens Left Scrambling to Find Tyler Linderbaum Replacement

Well, the Baltimore Ravens fan base was left hurt that they would not be getting their star center back on the team after offering him a "market-setting" contract.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Ravens lost Tyler Linderbaum to the Las Vegas Raiders, as Linderbaum will be signing a three-year, $81 million contract. Linderbaum's $27 million-per-year deal makes him the highest-paid center in NFL history by a mile, with Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey second at $18 million.

Sources: The #Raiders are closing in on a deal for #Ravens Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, giving him a 3-year, $81M deal. pic.twitter.com/jymWCPrldG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2026

This is a crushing blow for the Ravens, as they now have to figure out a plan B for Linderbaum, who was reportedly going to be Connor McGovern, but he ended up re-signing with the Buffalo Bills. That leaves the Ravens with few options, with many centers signing elsewhere.

Ravens' backup options for Tyler Linderbaum after his departure

Even though it feels like a gut punch for the Ravens fans, with $27 million per year being the price for him, Baltimore general manager Eric DeCosta was never going to pay that kind of price tag as $20 million was most likely going to be the highest he would have gone, but those details should come out in the coming days and weeks.

New Orleans Saints guard Luke Fortner | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Now to who the Ravens should replace Linderbaum with, one option that is appealing is former New Orleans Saints center Luke Fortner. The good part about Fortner is that he is interchangeable as a center and guard, playing both with New Orleans and the Jacksonville Jaguars over the last four years.

Fortner started his career with the Jaguars as a third-round pick in 2022. Last year, he joined the Saints to start in 10 of the 17 games. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 66.5 in 2025, ranking 18th out of 40 centers in the NFL.

This would make for a much cheaper option for the Ravens to bring Fortner in and a solid starter with plenty of experience. Of course, he's not as strong a pass blocker as Linderbaum, but Fortner only allowed 11 pressures, three sacks, and zero quarterback hits in 442 pass blocking snaps for the Saints a season ago.

Another clear option would be to look in the NFL Draft and find a center to develop. Iowa center Logan Jones makes a ton of sense for the Ravens after exploding onto the scene at the NFL Combine with a 4.9-second 40-yard dash time.

He won the Rimington Trophy award, which is given to the best center in the nation. Jones also won the Joe Moore Award for the nation's best offensive line, was a unanimous All-American, and a first-team All-Big Ten selection.

The options are there for the Ravens, and they don't have to spend a lot of money to get it done. Baltimore would be wise to look at these two choices as something they should do.

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