Three teams that could be in the market for a center this offseason are the New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions.
The Raiders may already have a solution on the roster in Jackson Powers-Johnson, but it remains to be seen if the new coaching staff views him as a guard, like the previous coaching staff did, or as a center.
Detroit finds itself in a precarious spot at center. Graham Glasgow did not pan out at that spot last season following the retirement of Frank Ragnow and the Lions desperately need an upgrade at the position.
The Giants could also use an upgrade at center, as John Michael Schmitz has been disappointing overall during his tenure in New York and only has one more year remaining on his rookie contract.
Any team in need of a center is going to have its eyes on Baltimore Ravens pending free agent, Tyler Linderbaum, who isn’t guaranteed to return to Baltimore in 2026.
According to SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora, things aren’t looking good when it comes to Linderbaum re-signing with the Ravens, which means he’s likely to hit free agency.
“The Ravens have been unable to reach a contract extension with center Tyler Linderbaum, a former first-round pick who is poised to cash in big when free agency opens in March,” La Canfora reported.
This is great news for the Lions, Giants and Raiders, as Linderbaum would provide a massive upgrade at center for any of those teams.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Linderbaum has developed into one of the better centers in the NFL and he could very well reset the market when it’s all said and done.
In 2025, Linderbaum gave up two sacks and 26 pressures while posting a respectable 63.4 pass-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Linderbaum was an elite run-blocker, with his 83.7 PFF grade ranking fourth among all centers.
The Raiders are easily the most well-positioned team to make an aggressive push for the veteran, as Las Vegas has the second-most cap space in the NFL at $91 million.
Meanwhile, the Giants have just $5.1 million to work with before any cuts or restructures, and the Lions are currently $9.9 million over the cap.
With a need at center, and with the team likely to draft Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 pick, signing Linderbaum makes a ton of sense for Las Vegas.
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