When the New York Giants navigate free agency in March, the expectation is the team will be eyeing some of John Harbaugh’s former Baltimore Ravens players.
That was reported by SNY’s Connor Hughes, who specifically mentioned Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum, who is set to hit free agency after the team declined his fifth-year option last offseason.
Taking all that into account, Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay predicts Linderbaum, who is projected to receive a four-year, $70.8 million contract in free agency from Spotrac, will sign with the Giants.
“Big Blue needs to overhaul an offensive line that allowed 48 sacks and struggled to protect rookie signal-caller Jaxson Dart. Adding Linderbaum on a long-term deal would solidify the unit and give the franchise an anchor to build around in the offensive trenches for years to come,” Kay wrote.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Linderbaum had yet another strong season for the Ravens in 2025, once again cementing himself as one of the better centers in the NFL.
His 83.7 Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade was fourth among centers, and he ranked 22nd with a 63.4 pass-blocking grade.
Wherever Linderbaum signs, he’s going to do very well financially and could quite possibly reset the market.
The Giants already have a starting center on the roster in John Michael Schmitz, but Linderbaum would amount to an upgrade, both as a pass protector and run-blocker, as evidenced by Linderbaum’s superior PFF grades in both areas throughout his career.
If Linderbaum is signed, the Giants could opt to trade Schmitz, who will be in the final year of his contract, or they could simply slide him over to guard, where the Giants have a need thanks to the pending free-agent status of Greg Van Roten.
Despite the 48 sacks given up last season, the Giants’ offensive line did take at least a small step in the right direction by jumping up from 26th to 11th in pass-block win rate, and from 27th to 18th in run-block win rate, per ESPN.
But better play is needed in both areas if the Giants’ offense is going to improve in 2026. Signing Linderbaum would help accomplish that task.
