Obsolete NFL rule forces the Ravens to make a decision they didn't want to and it could have lasting financial implications
The Baltimore Ravens took two great players in the first round in 2022, safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum. And while they took the fifth-year option for Hamilton, they decided not to do it for Linderbaum.It might feel weird to decline the option for such a good player, who made the Pro Bowl in […]
The Baltimore Ravens took two great players in the first round in 2022, safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum. And while they took the fifth-year option for Hamilton, they decided not to do it for Linderbaum.
It might feel weird to decline the option for such a good player, who made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons. But there's a clear explanation for that, and it goes back to an NFL rule that doesn't make any sense at this point in time.
Fifth-year options and franchise/transition tags are based on positions in the league. However, offensive linemen are all grouped together—there isn't a single number for tackles, guards, and centers.
That makes the options cost-prohibitive for guards and, especially, centers, because the amount of money is actually based on tackle contracts.
Because Linderbaum made the Pro Bowl multiple times during his first three seasons, he reached the level 4 of the fifth-year option, so it would be $23.403 million. The highest-paid center in football is Kansas City Chiefs' Creed Humphrey, and he makes $18 million per season.
Even though Linderbaum is a top player at his position, there's no reason for the Ravens to pull the trigger, especially because since the 2020 CBA, the fifth-year option is fully guaranteed at the moment it's exercised.
For the Ravens, it simply makes more sense to decline the option and negotiate a regular contract extension. Even if Linderbaum surpasses Humphrey, he will probably make less money on average per year than the fifth-year option anyway.
For safeties, the option is much more palatable. As a multiple-time Pro Bowler, he will make $18.6 million in 2026, which makes him the fourth-highest paid player at his position—it's still a hefty amount, but much more realistic.
Future implications
The problem for Baltimore in not picking up the option is that now Linderbaum is in the final year of his rookie contract and slated to become a free agent next offseason.
They could obviously use a franchise tag, but that's also just one number for all offensive linemen, and the current projection is $27.603 million (and $24.972 million for the transition tag). The Ravens will have to find a way to reach a contract extension sooner rather than later, and the situation gives Linderbaum the power to get a player-friendly deal.
Good for him, but it still seems like an unfair rule.
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