Trumaine Johnson deal with Jets proves cornerback was too expensive for Rams

When seeing what the New York Jets are expected to pay Trumaine Johnson, the Los Angeles Rams made the right decision by moving on from the cornerback.

Entering the offseason, the cornerback position was one of the biggest questions for the Los Angeles Rams since between Trumaine Johnson‘s hefty price tag along with Kayvon Webster continuing to recover from a ruptured Achilles tendon, nobody really knew what to expect. After using the franchise tag on Johnson in each of the last two seasons, the Rams knew a third time would be way too expensive, which is why the possibility was never even considered an option.

Not to mention, when looking at how Los Angeles was already in a tough position to clear up some salary cap space, the thought alone of what it would cost to convince Johnson to return was a tough pill to swallow. But thanks to the Rams keeping busy over the last few weeks by making deals to land a new dynamic duo in Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, Wade Phillips finds his defense in much better shape at cornerback.

Even better, the amount of money Peters and Talib are making combined is far less than what Los Angeles had to pay Johnson alone during the 2017 season when he was playing under the franchise tag. And when seeing the amount of money Johnson is expected to make as a member of the New York Jets, the decision to move on from the cornerback makes the Rams seem even smarter from a financial perspective.

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As mentioned before, there were already concerns surrounding Johnson being too expensive to keep around in Los Angeles, and seeing this report about him expected to make around $15 million per year proves those concerns were right. At the end of the day, Johnson was always seen as a short-term answer the Rams couldn’t afford to lose last season while adjusting to a new defense under Phillips, and seeing how they may actually be better off with their duo along with saving some money in the process feels kind of amazing.

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Nothing against Johnson since he has always been a fan favorite in both Los Angeles and St. Louis, but business is still business. And with players like Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley looking to cash in sooner rather than later, it’s good to see the Rams focusing on spending this kind of money elsewhere instead of overpaying someone like Johnson.