3 worst free agent signings under Rams GM Les Snead

II: WR Allen Robinson (2022) - 3 years $46.5 million

When the LA Rams signed free agent wide receiver Allen Robinson to a contract in 2022, the team originally had no thought to doing so. By all accounts, the team had built a war chest of available salary cap space, with some effort I might add, to lock down enough money to extend veteran outside linebacker Von Miller.

Miller has arrived to the team mid-season in 2021, and had helped to put the team over the top to postseason success. The only problem with the strategy is that the Rams were so exclusively focused on extending Miller that they lost out on the opportunity to sign any alternative pass rushers as a fallback strategy.

The team also wanted to fill the void created by the injury to veteran WR Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ suffered an ACL in Super Bowl LVI, but his ability to haul in contested passes was a new dimension for an LA Rams offense that relied on precision route running and well-timed execution up to that point. With no option for Beckham, the Rams pivoted with some of their Von Miller money to sign Robinson to a hefty new contract.

Robinson was never a good fit in the Rams offense. Whether it was a lack of separation, a lack of targets when he created separation, or simply a lack of cultural fit to a team that emphasized blocking and being in the right place at the right time, Robinson was never much of a factor in this offense. Ultimately, he played just 10 games for the team in 2022, his one and only season in horns.

Ultimately, the team traded Robinson to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a pick swap. As a result, the Rams swallowed more dead cap money. But the void in the Rams roster allowed the team to target another contested-catch tough receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft named Puka Nacua.

In the end, it all seemed to work out. Now, onto our top failed free agency signing.