LA Rams save a cool million by renegotiating Johnny Hekker deal

Reworking deal saves job

Why did it take so long to resolve? Perhaps there was not enough evidence early in the preseason to establish a heated competition? Perhaps NFL teams were unwilling to commit to any trade with the LA Rams in the belief that the team would be forced to cut a punter, and that would provide a no-cost waiver claim to land the player. Perhaps the Hekker camp did not believe that the Rams were seriously considering replacing their veteran punter?

All of this was previously reported. What wasn’t know was exactly how much the newly negotiated contract with Johnny Hekker had save for the LA Rams. Well, we now know and can share the details. Let’s start with how the contract was structured before the renegotiating took place:

Johnny Hekker original salary cap 2021-23
Base salary    Pro Bonus      Total Sal
$3.75 m            $1.19 m           $4.94 m
$4.0   m             $0.7   m           $4.7  m
$4.3   m             $0.45 m           $4.7  m

Now it is important to note that Corey Bojorquez signed a one-year deal with the LA Rams worth $1,020,000. For all intents and purposes, Hekker was between four and five times the cost of Bojorquez to the team. While the team was adamant early in the season that no punting competition existed, it seemed that the financial disparity between the two players forced the Rams to consider switching punters. It was that reconsideration that ultimately forced the Rams and Hekker back to the bargaining table:

So what did it look like after renegotiations?