The Los Angeles Chargers' prime free agent target this offseason is clear. If they can somehow land Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens to anchor the center of their offensive line for seasons to come, it would be the greatest success imaginable.
Linderbaum will not come at a cheap price, however. He's made three Pro Bowls in his four seasons in the NFL, and he's rapidly established himself as one of the league's best centers. It's the reason the Ravens, as of now, likely cannot afford to extend his contract.
Linderbaum's availability on the open market would be an absolute dream for the Chargers. While the Ravens currently have just over $22 million in cap space to work with this offseason, Los Angeles has $82 million. With the impending releases or trades of Mekhi Becton, Bradley Bozeman, and Will Dissly, this number should expand.
As the chips are currently stacked, things look favorable for Los Angeles. But Baltimore could rapidly flip the script if they were to deal Marlon Humphrey, essentially snatching Linderbaum right out of the Chargers' grasp.
The Ravens still have a chance to free up enough cap space for Linderbaum
Per Spotrac, Linderbaum is projected to earn around $17 million annually on his next deal. If he hits the open market and a bidding war ensues, it's easy to see that number climbing to $20 million or even higher.
The franchise tag is meant to buy organizations time to avoid this. The problem for Baltimore is that centers, guards, and tackles are all assigned the same number. This means that the Ravens would owe Linderbaum close to $28 million next season if they chose to tag him.
The math is simple here. $28 million far exceeds the $22 million Baltimore has available to them.
Yet FanSided's Ryan Fowler made an interesting point in his recent piece on Linderbaum. By either trading Humphrey or restructuring Roquan Smith's contract, the organization could free up the extra money they need. Moving Humphrey, although it might be difficult, would have less adverse effects in the long-term.
He has a cap hit of $26.3 million for 2026, his final year before he hits unrestricted free agency. If the Ravens are willing to eat his dead money beyond this year in order to part with his salary this season, a space on the balance sheet for Linderbaum could rapidly open up.
It's not as though Humphrey is without trade value, either. He had a rough go of it in 2025, but he's just one season removed from his last Pro Bowl campaign. Teams like the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams have already been speculated to have interest in Humphrey this offseason.
The upcoming NFL Draft Combine should yield us some juicy rumors. If Humphrey's name pops up in trade talks, Chargers fans must prepare to lose Linderbaum before they even truly get their shot at him.