​Fed up with the results of the past two seasons, the Las Vegas Raiders undertook major changes this offseason, appointing a new head coach for the third time in as many years. This time they chose a young, hot-shot coach fresh off a Super Bowl victory. That blueprint has proven effective before; in 2022 the Minnesota Vikings hired Kevin O’Connell, who later earned Coach of the Year honors and now sits 23rd in NFL history in coaching win percentage. But the Raiders didn’t stop at replacing their coach with Klint Kubiak. The front office has been busy addressing the team’s most glaring weaknesses while trying to amplify its strengths. A key part of that overhaul involved bold moves in free agency and a willingness to spend big to make a statement.
Aside from naming Kubiak as head coach, the Raiders have avoided trading away star pass rusher Maxx Crosby and opted to select Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Yet arguably the most consequential move this offseason was the signing of Tyler Linderbaum to a three-year, $81 million contract. At $27 million per season, Linderbaum’s deal shattered the market for the highest-paid centers. The next closest, Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs, is earning an average of $18 million annually. Humphrey, at 27 years old, is a two-time All-Pro with a Super Bowl ring and four Pro Bowl nods. Linderbaum, at 26, has three Pro Bowls to his name but no All-Pro selections in his four-year career thus far.
Meanwhile, ESPN recently conducted a poll of coaches, scouts, and football executives to rank the top 10 interior offensive linemen in the league today. Linderbaum landed in eighth place, while Humphrey ranked third. But the most notable takeaway from ESPN’s interior offensive line rankings was what NFL coaches reportedly said about Linderbaum in pass protection: he is sometimes a “liability,” prone to floating and helping with scheme protection rather than engaging in one-on-one matchups.
Of course, when a premier player reaches free agency in his prime, he often resets the market. That’s exactly what happened when Kirk Cousins left Washington for Minnesota. He wasn’t universally regarded as the best quarterback, but the Vikings needed a starter, and Cousins had earned a Pro Bowl berth the year before he hit free agency. With open-market leverage in hand, his agent secured a lucrative deal. In Linderbaum’s case, the Raiders hope the jump to a new atmosphere and the infusion of new guidance will help him iron out any weaknesses. After all, once such comments become public, they can serve as additional motivation for a former first‑round pick to sharpen his craft.