The LA Rams must use franchise tag and 1st round tender.

So who to tender?

Well, first things first. The LA Rams would be very wise to overnight a first-round tender offer for Restricted Free Agent (RFA), DB Darious Williams, as quickly as possible.  Williams was claimed off the Baltimore Ravens waiver wire in 2018, and he worked his way up to the starting ranks in 2019.  By 2020, he staked his claim to a starting outside cornerback role.  He’s gotten a lot of attention in the NFL.

So much attention, in fact, that he has signed on with Klutch Sports Group, a premier sports agency that will push hard to get Williams some top offers. So the only course of action for the Rams is to file a qualifying first-round tender offer. It’s prescribed, an NFL designation that has a value set each year. The reason? It allows an NFL team to retain a key player for another year.

That will allow the Rams to retain Williams for a year, will provide them the right to match any offer letters submitted for Williams by another team, and even if the Rams cannot afford to or choose not to match, they will receive a first-round pick. A final season to develop a replacement, or to negotiate a long term contract.

The cost to do so? Per Over the Cap.com, a first-round tender offer in 2021 will cost the Rams $4,766,000.  Of course, that is only if Williams signs the one year contract. That’s an excellent and economical value for a solid starting defensive back and ensures that the Rams will have two starting-caliber defensive backs for 2021.