The Las Vegas Raiders have a new center after breaking the bank for Tyler Linderbaum in free agency.
According to reports, the Raiders are signing Linderbaum to a massive three-year, $81 million contract. The $27 million annual average not only makes him the highest-paid center in NFL history, but also the highest-paid interior lineman.
Prior to the Linderbaum signing, there was a thought that maybe the Raiders would consider moving Powers-Johnson back to center, where he played in college and during his first year in the NFL.
However, clearly that is not going to happen after the Raiders just spent a ton of money on Linderbaum.
But does that mean JPJ will hit the trade block? According to one NFL insider, that is not the case.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that the Raiders have no intention on trading Powers-Johnson and will instead keep him at guard.
“The Raiders plan to play Jackson Powers-Johnson at guard after the acquisition of Tyler Linderbaum. They don’t plan to trade him,” Fowler reported.
This is 100% the right move by the Raiders.
After all, Las Vegas needs all the help it can get to protect Fernando Mendoza and JPJ is a good, young offensive lineman and teams should not be in the business of trading guys like that.
Last season was a bit of a mess for Powers-Johnson, but that was more a result of the mess that Pete Carroll was and how badly the coaching staff handled JPJ.
With more stability, we believe Powers-Johnson has what it takes to be a Pro Bowl-level guard in the NFL.
