LA Rams are one NFL team that puts its money where its mouth is

Fiscally speaking, the LA Rams love to put their money where their mouth is. What I mean is that the team seldom enters any new fiscal year with money left in their budget or their wallet. The NFL and NFLPA had to stipulate the requirement that teams would spend their allotted salary cap funds on players, but that is certainly not the case for the Rams. In fact, the opposite is true. The team typically needs to shave millions off their payroll just to get into compliance with the NFL’s imposed cap on payroll spending.

The LA Rams made a couple of moves over the weekend that freed up a little cash flow.  Of course, they have been moving money quite rapidly for more than a week. The team had already freed up some funds with the release of P Johnny Hekker ($2 million) and the retirement of OT Andrew Whitworth ($16 million). The Rams cleared $12 million more by reworking OLB Leonard Floyd’s contract.  If you are keeping a running total, that’s $30 million freed up so far.

If you like to stay abreast of the LA Rams’ complete free agency picture, from who did they sign to who did they lose, projected awarded compensatory picks to current salary cap projections, you can always check out our LA Rams Free Agency tracker. I’ve been known to check it out as well, and yes, it is getting updated daily.

Latest Rams Free Agency and fiscal moves

The latest Rams Free Agency moves now include a contract restructure and a trade of the very popular WR Robert Woods to the Tennessee Titans.

We’ve mentioned a few times in the past few weeks the LA Rams were in negotiations to rework a new Matthew Stafford contract and we can finally say this was completed.   According to ESPN Insider, Adam Schefter, the deal is worth $160 million over four years, with $135 million guaranteed over the life of the contract.  This also makes him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the league and deservedly so, as his inaugural season with the LA Rams landed a Super Bowl LVI victory and tying or breaking the All-Time Single-Season Rams Franchise passing records:

Believe it or not, the deal saved the team $10 million off their 2022 salary cap.

More money? Why not?

In hopes of further improving the LA Rams’ financial position, the team w suddenly faced an outbreak of rumors about fielding questions over moving on from veteran wide receiver Robert Woods. Those rumors began when the LA Rams pivoted from a disappointing and unsuccessful attempt to land outside linebacker Von Miller, to quickly signing free-agent wide receiver Allen Robinson. And the team is still rumored to be in pursuit of signing free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
Those rumors proved, unfortunately, to be true as the team did in fact trade the veteran Woods to the Tennessee Titans for what seems a very cheap sixth-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.  With the recent addition of Allen Robinson to the roster, via free agency, Woods became the odd many out. expendable.  The trade was hurried along, as Woods was in line to earn a $3.5 million roster bonus due on March 20, 2022. In the end, the Rams freed up another $7 million with the trade.

These moves have helped the LA Rams to reduce their salary cap number and now, according to spotrac.com, have a bit over $16 million to spend.  A portion of that of course will go towards rookies they select in next month’s NFL Draft. Right now, that war chest is estimated by Spotrac.com to be just over $2 million of additional payroll expense to the team.

But do the Rams have ulterior motives for such a substantial sum?  Right now, that total does not reflect Allen Robinson, Brandon Powell, or rookie signings, but some could potentially be used to sign a new face in free agency.  Many expect the other shoe to drop soon. I could see the LA Rams signing a veteran linebacker such as Bobby Wagner or perhaps a veteran cornerback like Stephon Gilmore or Joe Hayden.  For that matter, defensive back Trae Waynes was recently released by the Cincinnati Bengals as well and could be an option, if the LA Rams wish to bolster their secondary via NFL Free Agency.

You know how LA Rams GM Les Snead loves to add players that won’t screw with his comp picks.