Ravens Might Have Tyler Linderbaum Troubles Behind Closed Doors

Everyone is glued to the contract negotiations between the Baltimore Ravens and their center, Tyler Linderbaum.

The Ravens only have about two weeks to get a deal done with Linderbaum before he hits the free agent market, and that would be bad news for Baltimore. Linderbaum is expected to be among the highest-paid centers in the NFL under his new contract.

Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters at the NFL Combine that, while he won't get into the details of the negotiations, he has offered Linderbaum a "market-setting" contract to bring him back to Baltimore. While it appears progress is going well for both sides, public perception might be wrong.

Are the Ravens truly close to signing Tyler Linderbaum?

The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec shared his new report from the combine, which discusses the negotiations between the Ravens and Linderbaum. Zrebiec thinks there might be more to the story than meets the eye.

Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"DeCosta said the Ravens probably wouldn’t use the franchise or transition tags to keep Linderbaum off the free-agent market, meaning an extension is a must. And it’s clear the Ravens haven’t made enough progress on that front for DeCosta to feel really good about where things currently stand."

"Because if they had, there’s no way DeCosta would have stood behind a microphone Tuesday morning and told everyone the Ravens have offered to make Linderbaum the NFL’s highest-paid center."

Zrebiec credits DeCosta for being "media savvy," and everything that he says in public is calculated. There are two possible reasons for what DeCosta said to reporters.

"One, it applies some pressure on Linderbaum and his veteran agent, Neil Cornrich, to come to the bargaining table or at least respond to Baltimore’s offer. Two, it sends a message to the team’s players and fans that the Ravens are trying to keep the popular Linderbaum, and if they can’t, it won’t be because of a lack of effort."

There have been reports that talks have stalled, while others say progress is being made. It's honestly hard to keep track of what's happening each day. What's clear is that publicly, the Ravens want their center back and are pulling out all the stops to get him.

If the Ravens are unable to get him back, reports say Buffalo Bills free-agent center Connor McGovern is the backup plan. While not a bad option for Baltimore, they would rather have their three-time Pro Bowl center back long term.

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