Ravens 'On the Clock' to Extend Star Center

Earlier this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens were able to keep one of their top offensive linemen around when they signed left tackle Ronnie Stanley to a three-year, $60 million extension before he could hit the open market.

Now, they'll have to do the same with their other top lineman.

Center Tyler Linderbaum, who has two Pro Bowl selections in his first three seasons, is entering the final year of his rookie deal after the Ravens declined his fifth-year option earlier this offseason. Despite that decision, the Ravens know how important the 25-year-old is to their success, and they should do everything in their power to keep him around.

Understandably, The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec believes extending Linderbaum should be a priority.

"There’s always the franchise tag if the Ravens can’t extend Linderbaum over the next 10 months, but that would be prohibitive," Zrebiec wrote. "After not picking up his fifth-year option, the Ravens are on the clock if they want to extend Linderbaum, and they say they do. The price of top centers is clear. There shouldn’t be ambiguity here."

It's easy to see why the Ravens declined Linderbaum's fifth-year option despite his impressive play. The NFL calculates fifth-year option totals for all offensive linemen together rather than by each individual position, and with his two Pro Bowls, Linderbaum's option would've cost a whopping $23.4 million. For comparison, Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey, the highest-paid player at the position, makes just $18 million per year.

Even if the Ravens make Linderbaum the highest-paid center in the league, they'd still save a significant amount of money in 2026 while having extra security beyond that.

Like many players in contract talks, Linderbaum wants to keep his focus on what really matters first and foremost.

"Honestly, I'm really not even focused on that right now," Linderbaum told reporters on April 21. "No, that's why we have agents. Neil Cornrich will handle that all for me, and like I said, I'm giving my all to the team right now, and that's my focus, and that's how it should be."