NFL Salary cap lowered to $198.2, LA Rams cap falls to under $20 million

In a reverse of fortunes, the LA Rams 2020 salary cap falls as the NFL lowers the ceiling below previous estimates, now under $20 million.

The LA Rams just lost a significant amount of free salary cap space. Not through any fault of their own, but rather because the NFL actual cap number has been determined, and the actual number is lower than previous estimates.  That has significant meaning to a team already counting change as the 2020 free agency market rapidly approaches.

In short, the LA Rams shopping list has become even less likely than before.

Of course, if you are asking questions about why did the LA Rams’ general manager Les Snead allows the 2020 salary cap to become such a limiting factor, you are not alone.  We are a bit puzzled at that ourselves. After all, the LA Rams had structured multiple contracts to consume huge chunks of the team’s salary allocation in 2020.

The team had options to restructure contracts. Not renegotiate nor reduce the amount due to players. Simply change the contract terms to allow huge payouts in 2020 to be spread forward. That would have been one of the key steps to freeing up $80 million.

Instead, Snead stated in a recent interview that the Rams would likely NOT be restructuring contracts in 2020.  That means that the Rams will not have much voice in the decision where ten LA Rams play next season.  If events play out as they project today, the Rams made the decision about the future of the organization when the team signed quarterback Jared Goff to a lofty contract with a significant guaranteed salary dollars.

That commitment of so much to so few has left the team with approximately $17 million right now. Of that amount, the team must pay for players from the 2020 NFL Draft, must re-sign veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth, and retain as many of their inexpensive restricted free agents as possible.

Of course, the Rams can free some cap space by trading players, and will likely consider those options as well. And the team can restructure existing player contracts at any time. For now, the public strategy seems to be holding the team together in 2020, landing four compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, and making another push in 2021.

EDITORS UPDATE:  The latest cap figures have been updated at Over The Cap .com. Per that estimate, the LA Rams are the 25th ranked team in terms of available dollars, but at a mere $14,569,307. One positive from this updated report is that the Rams have nearly $5 million more to spend than the rival San Francisco 49ers at  $9.867 million.

Snead’s insistence to avoid restructuring contracts to free up cap space makes no sense. But never trust a general manager in the days leading up to the NFL Draft.