Report Claims Los Angeles Rams Likely to Use Franchise Tag On Trumaine Johnson Again

At the moment, all signs point to the Los Angeles Rams using the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson for the second-straight season.

After a solid 2015 season in which he recorded seven interceptions, the Los Angeles Rams had high expectations for cornerback Trumaine Johnson last year, especially after losing Janoris Jenkins to the New York Giants in free agency. In order to avoid the possibility of being down two top cornerbacks, the Rams made the wise decision to use the franchise tag on Johnson last season, and despite his numbers being down, it appears the team is leaning towards that same approach once again for 2017.

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According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Los Angeles is expected to use the franchise tag on their beloved cornerback for the second year in a row, which will end up being costly. If the Rams do go through with this decision, Johnson would earn just under $17 million for the 2017 season alone, which seems crazy to think about.

From a financial perspective, this doesn’t seem like the best move for Los Angeles since Johnson’s production was down last season after only recording one interception during the 14 games he appeared in. The debate is still out there when it comes to whether Johnson is capable of handling the duties of being the top cornerback for the Rams, and when seeing the hefty amount of money he’s going to be making, the team better hope produces better number under the franchise tag this time around.

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For a team that is already overpaying one of the league’s top wide receivers in Tavon Austin, the Rams can’t afford to see their investments on defense like Johnson go to waste. Plus, if Johnson really wants to see Los Angeles consider a long-term deal in the future, he better prove he would be worth the risk with a strong outing next season.