The NFL's free agency tampering period is off and running, and many big deals have been agreed upon. Alec Pierce got $116 million to return to the Indianapolis Colts, Malik Willis found his chance at a starting job with the Miami Dolphins, and the Pittsburgh Steelers got in on the action with a trade and extension for Colts receiver Michael Pittman.
Perhaps the most surprising deal so far, however, was former Baltimore Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum's deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. It was expected that he would reset the market, but he blew away all expectations by agreeing to a three-year, $81 million deal, topping Creed Humphrey's $19 million per year deal as the highest-paid center in the NFL.
It may hurt the Steelers rival to lose Linderbaum in the middle of their offensive line, but his market-crushing deal may hurt the Steelers chances of retaining their own star center Zach Frazier.
Tyler Linderbaum's record deal may hurt the Pittsburgh Steelers chances of retaining Zach Frazier
Frazier has been one of the best players on the Steelers roster since being drafted in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft, and one of the NFL's better centers to boot. He arguably had a better season overall than Linderbaum had a year ago, but he lacks the name value and draft pedigree that the former Ravens stalwart has.
Still, Linderbaum's deal will now be used as a benchmark for future center contracts. If Frazier continues to play at the level he has through his first two seasons, that $27 million per-year average could be a number he has every right to ask for by the time he is up for a new deal.
The Steelers have a long and storied history at the center position, but will they be willing to pay Frazier that much money?
With big deals potentially on the horizon for Nick Herbig, Joey Porter Jr., and his fellow linemate Troy Fautanu, it won't be easy to fit a massive deal for Frazier into the calculus. You can't pay everyone, so they will need to decide who to prioritize over the next two seasons. It isn't a foregone conclusion that Frazier won't be one of the players they prioritize, but the Linderbaum deal made it much harder to do so for the Steelers.