Early LA Rams roster moves reveal shrewd salary cap strategy taking shape

Making the most out of a limited annual salary cap is something that Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead has mastered. But even with an ever-increasing NFL salary cap, the Rams wizard of roster upgrades has a bag of tricks that allows the front office to optimize the Rams restocking of talent for a new NFL season. Of course, cash is king, so perhaps that is where we need to begin this article. How much is the 2025 NFL salary cap? The number has been set at $279.2 million per club.

How has that salary ceiling increased over the years? Not surprisingly, it's nearly a 10 percent increase over the 2024 salary cap. And since 2022, the cap has increased by nearly $55 million. That's quite a jump.

Of course, in the world of finances and investments, it's not how much money you start with, but rather how well you invest it. Perhaps it was all the years of constructing a top-heavy roster that left little to pay the largest number of players? Perhaps it was the lessons learned from overpaying some players, only to be stuck with the albatross of dead cap space after the players were traded or released.

The Rams have run an oscillating back and forth operation of cutting players to find new cap savings, only to use those savings to pay a new group of overachieving players until they too found themselves falling short of their compensation. Wash, rinse, and repeat. It was a vicious circle of the Rams left holding the bag to dead cap space.

Expensive experiences teach valuable lessons.

However the team got to this point, the results are both positive and a distinct advantate. How so? Let's explore how the Rams structured the first extension for 2025, and why this strategy not only kept a key player on the Rams roster, but did so at an amazingly team-friendly deal:

Rams first extension was a huge win, win for the team

The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2025 offseason with some huge roster issues to tackle. In my view, the biggest and baddest matter was getting stellar offensive tackle Alaric Jackson back for the 2025 NFL season, and hopefully not breaking the bank in the process. To me, Jackson was even more irreplaceable than starting quarterback Matthew Stafford.

You can find the details about Alaric Jackson's contract at overthecap.com, but we'll highlight some of the key features in the next paragraph.

The Rams extended contract with LT Alaric Jackson on a three-year contract worth $57.75 million. That works out to $19.25 million APY. From that base amount, it's a huge win for the Rams to get their young starting left tackle under $20 millon APY. But wait . . . there's more. Because the team has incentivized his contract with 'per game' roster bonuses, the salary cap hit for 2025 initially comes in at just $7 million. Here's how the cash flow compares to the initial salary cap hits:

• 2025 - $18,450,000 cash paid | $ 7,000,000 salary cap hit
• 2026 - $19,875,000 cash paid | $19,875,000 salary cap hit
• 2027 - $19,425,000 cash paid | $19,425,000 salary cap hit

More Rams offseason news

Okay, so how do the Rams get away with the huge disparity between cash outlays and a significantly smaller salary cap hit? It's the uncertainty of the team's per game roster bonus. Because Alaric Jackson has been suspended for two games to open 2025, the Rams roster bonuses are not included into the salary cap equation until they are paid out. That means that the team will start the season with a much larger number of available cap space than at the end of the season.

Of course, these types of negotiations only find success when the team and player are on the same page. Thankfully, Alaric Jackson is a blue-collar workaholic who loves to step onto a football field and block defenders. He has no airs about him, as he has even willingly engaged fans on social media. It's his willingness to stay open to fans even as his NFL stock rises that continues to endear him to fans.

To Jackson, he can earn the full amount of his contract in cash. But the was the contract is structured, the Rams get a break on the salary cap. It's a formidable way to pay the starting left tackle, and it allows the Rams to leverage the contract to add other talented players as well. Such as this next extension:

Tutu Atwell's salary redefining NFL wide receiver market?

Some fans were upset that the LA Rams opted to extend veteran wide receiver Tutu Atwell at a cost of $10 million on a one-year deal, even as the team remains committed to trading or releasing veteran Cooper Kupp. We did a complete breakdown of all of early Rams roster transactions, and judged the Atwell extension favorably. It's a high cost one-year prove-it deal for Atwell. Perhaps the team is not convinced that Atwell can rise to the opportunity of playing a significant role in the offense for a full 17-game season?

Perhaps the team is not even certain that they will find ways to get him more involved in the offense this season?

But I am not ashamed to admit that there are other factors at work with Atwell's seemingly surprising salary of $10 million per year. You see, the fair market value for swift receivers in the NFL just jumped. The Kansas City Chiefs followed suit, paying Hollywood Brown up to $11 million on a one-year deal:

With the rising cost of fleet-footed NFL receivers, the Rams shrewdly got ahead of the trend. Paying Atwell $10 million before the 2025 NFL Free Agency market officially opens may seem foolish to many Rams fans, and perhaps to many NFL fans. But NFL Insider Albert Breer has a different perspective that was a bit of a revelation to me.

In his free agency outlook on the cusp of the 'legal tampering' period, Albert Breer offers more savvy strategy behind the Rams pushing a sack of cash into Tutu Atwell's outstretched hands. But as the first of many contracts to be signed by wide receivers, the Rams just raised the compensation expectations of all NFL wide receivers:

" On a receiver market chock full of older vets (Amari Cooper, Davante Adams, Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs, DeAndre Hopkins), there could be a premium on faster weapons. It was reflected in Tutu Atwell getting a one-year, $10 million deal for 2025 from the Los Angeles Rams, which floored other teams, and could foreshadow the New York Giants’ Darius Slayton getting a deal in the eight-figure-per-year range."

Albert Breet

The Rams are not out of the wide receiver market, so raising the price of potential free agent signings could be viewed as a strategy that runs against their objectives. But the cost imposed to other NFL teams to extend or sign free agent wide receivers will cause more pain elsewhere than the Rams will face. And it is never a bad strategy to inflict additional costs to opponents if you can. That's why the Eagles extension of RB Saquon Barkley this offseason was an inspired move.

We can all take a deep breath, because when the legal tampering period for the 2025 NFL Free Agency market begins, I expect a lot of strange and unusual roster moves to be lining up for the Rams. And that means a lot to take in and process for fans. Stay tuned, as this could be wild and bumpy ride over the next few days.

And as always, thank you so much for reading.

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