LA Rams face ‘legal tampering’ on Monday March 15, 2021

The LA Rams may not be under the 2021 NFL salary cap ceiling just yet, but that won’t keep them off the headlines as the 2021 NFL season is set to begin on March 17, 2021, at 1:00 pm PT. In the midst of all of the Rams’ own gyrations and behind-the-scenes work, the NFL presses on. And right now, a baker’s dozen of LA Rams’ free agents are about to test the NFL Free Agency market.

But before that happens, the NFL begins the legal tampering period. What is that?  Legal tampering is the term that describes the two-day period before the start of the new NFL calendar season when players/agents can negotiate with all 32 teams. Oh, and the 2021 legal tampering period, that time when NFL teams can legally negotiate with agents of any unrestricted free agent player, starts Sunday, March 15 (two days prior to the start of the new NFL season) at noon ET, or 9:00 am PT.

We’d taken a swing at predicting when, where, and for how much the top eight free agents for the LA Rams might sign. But the Rams will also lose veteran RB Malcolm Brown, LS Jake McQuaide, Edge Derek Rivers, Edge Samson Ebukam, and TE Johnny Mundt as well, Even as there is concern over the top free agents departing, it may by just as impactful to lose crucial role players as well.

And for those of you who keep track of that sort of thing, the LA Rams have until 1:00 pm PT on March 17, 2021, to file a qualifying tender offer to protect the teams Right of First Refusal for Restricted Free Agent cornerback Darious Williams. So far, no such tender offer has been offered. And that may not sit well with many.

About that cap.. grrr

Now about that salary cap. Oh, the rules of the NFL system of tracking moves are indeed archaic, and I fell into that trap. The NFLPA numbers that I had cited previously as a $23 million deficit is the total before the Matthew Stafford deal is officially recognized on March 17, 2021, at 1:00 pm PT. And that is because the trade, although agreed ‘in principle’ is not officially recognized by the NFL.

Now, the Rams likely ARE making progress on the salary cap. How could they NOT be? The deadline is in a mere three days, or to be more specific, in 76 hours. But there is no way of knowing what the number is now.  That ‘error’ is confirmed, as the same NFLPA report is off by a similar $10 million amount in the opposite direction from the Detroit Lions salary cap.  The Rams ARE making progress. But we just don’t know by how much… yet.

Sorry about any confusion that I may have caused. Humbling experience yes, but time to move onward and upward!

What to expect with legal tampering?

The LA Rams players who get early interest will be the skill players in short supply. And with so many roster cuts to get teams under the salary cap, there is no short supply of players seeking new teams. Young players like DE Morgan Fox or TE Gerald Everett may come off early the market as teams try to lock up key players with upside early in the process.

In any normal season, the likelihood of Leonard Floyd, Troy Hill, and even Josh Reynolds sitting on the market for any prolonged amount of time would be remote. But in 2021, they may need t wait longer and settle for less money than they had hoped.

Even in the depressed free-agent market, I expect that safety John Johnson III will not be on the market for long. He is a blue-chip safety, he is coming off his rookie contract, and he has proven the ability to lead a talented secondary in the installation of an entirely new defensive system. That all builds a strong case for JJIII to buck the trend and get a huge payday somewhere.

The more things change, the more they stay the same

And if any Rams players are not scooped up? Well, just like the voiding of Michael Brocker’s signing with the Baltimore Ravens a year ago, the LA Rams are happy to come along after the dust settles and re-sign players at an affordable price. That won’t happen until the end of March at the earliest. So until the Rams become active in free agency, which won’t be often or headlining, just keep the faith. Not every free agent signed pans out. Not every big payday puts a team into the NFL Championship game.

The new couple of weeks will be a lot of headlines and hype about Rams players and other teams. But, you’ve been here before. You know how it all plays out. The Rams signed just two mid-tier free agents in 2020: Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson. The team re-signed a young Morgan Fox and veteran Michael Brockers. And yet, the Rams defense led the NFL. That’s how it works.

No money, no picks, no worries. This is the modus operandi of the Rams. One day from legal tampering, three days from the start of the new NFL season. Yeah, we’ve been here before. And yet, headlines will read like they always do. Big spenders in free agency will get the love.