The John Harbaugh era has officially begun with the New York Giants. On Monday, fans had a chance to see what kind of roster Harbaugh would build with the opening of the free agency tampering window. The expectation was that he'd bring over some Baltimore Ravens players. He did just that early on, agreeing to terms with tight end Isaiah Likely and punter Jordan Stout.
This offseason, the Giants were linked to Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum. It made sense, as the Giants could have used more help on the interior of the offensive line. The thing is, the Giants didn't have the most cap space in the NFL, and they had other areas of need they had to address. Besides, Linderbaum's asking price was increasing by the day.
On Monday, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Linderbaum had agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders. It made sense, as the Raiders needed help across the entire offensive line, especially to help out projected first-overall pick Fernando Mendoza. But the Raiders are giving Linderbaum a three-year contract worth $81 million.
That contract given to Linderbaum by the Raiders goes to show that the Giants were right not to pursue a contract that gigantic for the center.
Raiders' overpay of Tyler Linderbaum shows Giants made right decision not to pursue top free agent
Could the Giants have used an upgrade at center? For sure. While John Michael Schmitz showed promise this past season, they want to see if he can build off of it and develop further. Linderbaum would have been an improvement, but it was a huge commitment for a Giants team that needs to address other positions, such as wide receiver, cornerback, and linebacker.
$81 million is a huge number. But there's more to the contract. The Raiders are committed to paying him $27 million per season, blowing away the $18 million per year mark that Creed Humphrey set with the Kansas City Chiefs. Oh, and $60 million of the $81 million is fully guaranteed.
Let's face it, the Raiders had over $100 million in cap space entering the start of free agency tampering, so they were able to throw a gargantuan offer Linderbaum's way. The Giants have to be a bit more savvy because they have nowhere near that amount of cap space to work with. Linderbaum would have been nice, but it just wasn't in the cards.
The Giants did find a new tight end and punter thus far in free agency, so they are off to a strong start. But they still have work to do.