Los Angeles Rams holding off on Lamarcus Joyner extension may be best option

As great as it would be to lock Lamarcus Joyner up for the long run, the Los Angeles Rams may be better holding off.

When making the tough decision on which player was worthy of the franchise tag for 2018, the Los Angeles Rams made the correct choice going with Lamarcus Joyner over Sammy Watkins since this seemed best for the long run.

With all due respect to Watkins, the former Rams receiver is the kind of player that is easier to replace, and when seeing how the team eventually acquired Brandin Cooks in a trade, everything seemed to work out for the best.

Last season marked the first time in Joyner’s NFL career he made the switch to safety, and Sean McVay seemed to know immediately this was the best decision Los Angeles could have made on defense.

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In fact, Joyner managed to take an interception to the house for the Rams during that opening game against the Indianapolis Colts during the team’s 46-9 win in a game that was well over by halftime.

Playing under the franchise tag for the 2018 season turned out to be quite the pay raise for Joyner, and as much as he may want to be around for the long run, the Los Angeles safety may end up having to wait for a long-term deal.

Since the deadline to extend players under the tag is July 16, it looks like that potential extension won’t be coming for Joyner this summer, although it isn’t the worst thing in the world for the Rams.

Fans are well aware just how frustrating the situation has become with Aaron Donald still waiting for a new deal since the two parties have reportedly been in talks dating back to last season. So if the Rams were to pull the trigger by rewarding Joyner with an extension before Donald, one can only imagine the frustration among the fan base.

Monday’s deadline for a possible extension will be here soon, and as risky as it may be down the road to allow Joyner to hit free agency, this seems like a risk Los Angeles will just have to accept.

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Plus, maybe if Joyner comes through with another impressive season at safety, it will earn him even more money in a hefty deal down the road from the Rams, assuming the interest to keep him around for the long run would still be there.