LA Rams FA summary: Headlines first day of 2021 season full of Rams

The LA Rams appear to be the first-stop shop of NFL teams, particularly those that are focused upon improving their defense. Of course, it does make perfect sense. The top-rated NFL defense was due to lose up to eight players to the NFL Free Agency market. Thankfully, the Rams swept in earlier in the week to re-claim two key players.

Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at 1:00 pm PT signified the start of the 2021 NFL season. As such, the trade of Matthew Stafford to the LA Rams is now finally official. Now, the Rams can officially hammer out a new deal to perhaps push some of that $20 million due him into future years. Of course, the best avenue is to simply redo the deal into something on the order of four years.

The Rams had acted previously to re-sign two of their four restricted free agents – the Rams extended minimal Qualifying offers to both OC Colman Shelton and ILB Travin Howard.  On Monday, March 15, 2021, the Rams extending a First-Round Qualifying Tender offer to DB Darious Williams. Of the four restricted free agents, only tight end Johnny Mundt remains unsigned.

Who and for how much?

CB Darious Williams (RFA) received a first-round Qualifying Tender offer, a one-year contract worth an estimated $4.7 million.
OC Coleman Shelton (ERFA) received a Qualifying offer, worth an estimated $850,000.
ILB Travin Howard (ERFA) received a Qualifying offer, worth an estimated $780,000.

Per Spotrac.com, the LA Rams 12 unrestricted free agents are broken down thusly:

OLB Leonard Floyd is returning to the Rams on a four-year $64 million deal. Since he re-signed with the Rams, he was never a free agent, technically. His name has been changed on Spotrac.com. Curiously, his contract is structured to hit the Rams’ 2021 salary cap with just $5.5 million of salary expense.
OLB Samson Ebukam is signing on with the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year $12 million deal (Comp Pick likely)
Safety John Johnson III is signing on with the Cleveland Browns on a three-year $33.75 million deal. (Comp Pick very likely)
DE Morgan Fox is signing on with the Carolina Panthers on a two-year $8.5 million deal. (Comp Pick possible)
Edge Derek Rivers is signing on with the Houston Texans on a one-year $3 million prove-it deal. (Comp Pick very unlikely)

Long snapper Jake McQuaide will sign on with the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal, terms not yet disclosed.

The remaining free agents on the defensive side of the ball are as follows:

CB Troy Hill is unsigned

Offensive activity

On offense, the Rams witnessed two free-agent players signing on with new teams
RB Malcolm Brown is signing on with the Miami Dolphins on a one-year $1.75 million prove-it deal. (Comp Pick remote)
TE Gerald Everett is signing on with the Seattle Seahawks on a one-year $6 million prove-it deal. (Comp Pick Likely)

The remaining free agents on the offensive side of the ball are as follows:

OC Austin Blythe
QB Blake Bortles
TE Johnny Mundt (RFA)
WR Josh Reynolds

Curiously the wide receiver group remains among the least active position group in the 2021 NFL Free Agency market. It could very well mean that many teams have an eye to the 2021 NFL Draft, which is once more loaded with solid receiver weapons. If that proves to be the case, the Rams may be able to bring back WR Reynolds at a deeply discounted price.

While the Rams had been one of the more active NFC West teams early, the rest of the pack has caught up and surpassed the Rams. The Arizona Cardinals continue to add offensive talent to their team, while the San Francisco 49ers have been active in signing their own players. The Seattle Seahawks have finally decided not to rebuild, and are not getting active in free agency.

Comp talk

For those of you who track that sort of thing, the loss of free agents (when compared to the 2021 compensatory picks awarded) line up as follows: S John Johnson III’s average per year of $11.75 million could translate into a fourth-round compensatory pick. Both Gerald Everett and Samson Ebukam’s average per year of $6 million could translate into two fifth or sixth-round compensatory picks.

The Rams are in the queue to be awarded their second third-round compensatory pick for the hiring of Brad Holms as GM of the Detroit Lions. As NFL teams are capped at no-more-than four compensatory picks in any one year, that could be all she wrote for the Rams. And of course, these are all estimates, and cannot be accurately projected until the free agency market has run its course, and any and all offsets are used in the calculations. If the Rams sign any free agents, the Rams can offset and may be awarded a sixth-round compensatory pick for the loss of DE Morgan Fox

So far? The Rams may be in line for the awarding of a third-round, a fourth-round, and two fifth-round compensatory picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Troy Hill, Austin Blythe, and Josh Reynolds are all players who may yet play a significant impact upon the Rams compensatory pick awards for the 2022 NFL Draft. Comp pick awards are determined upon individual player contracts and are not aggregated. The Rams were already due to select with six picks in the 2022 NFL Draft: second round, third round, fifth round, sixth round, and two seventh-round picks. Based on the addition of comp picks, the Rams could enjoy up to ten picks in the 2022 NFL Draft.

The LA Rams, with the exception of re-signing four key players, have been content to sit this one out so far. The Rams have also traded away veteran defensive lineman Michael Brockers to fit under the salary cap.

All of these players will need to have their snaps replaced. While the Rams likely anticipated free agency losses, the trade of Michael Brockers to fit under the salary will accelerate promoting existing players to a larger role in 2021.