On May 2, the Baltimore Ravens will have to decide whether or not they will exercise the fifth-year option of safety Kyle Hamilton and center Tyler Linderbaum’s first-round contracts from the 2022 NFL Draft. And earlier on Thursday, the NFL announced how much it will cost to exercise said option.
For Hamilton, who has earned two original team Pro Bowls, his amount is equal to the franchise tender at his position, and the franchise tag is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position. This equates to $18.6 million.
If the Ravens exercise his option and pay him the $18.6 million, it would make Hamilton the third-highest paid safety in the NFL, behind only Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Antoine Winfield Jr. ($21 million AAV) and Los Angeles Chargers ($19 million AAV).
Truth be told, it’s a bit cheaper than whatever long-term deal is headed Hamilton’s way as he’s likely to become the highest-paid safety in the NFL.
Linderbaum also earned two original team Pro Bowls, meaning he also would receive the franchise tender. Uniquely, offensive linemen are all under a single tag. So, rather than it being the average of the top 10 center contracts, it’s under all offensive linemen. And with tackles getting paid significantly more money than centers, the fifth-year option (equal to the franchise tag) for Linderbaum would be $23.4 million.
This would shatter the center market and make Linderbaum the highest-paid center in NFL history. Currently, the top-paid center is Kansas City Chiefs’ Creed Humphrey ($18 million AAV), who raised the center market significantly. The second-highest paid center in the NFL is Detroit Lions’ Frank Ragnow ($13.5 million AAV).
The best possible outcome will be a long-term deal with both stars on the rise, but the challenges of the cap are lofty.