Rams free agency: Dotson's dilemma pivots on going for bank or bling

Many of the LA Rams fanbase seems to have weighed in on the imminent free agency status of interior offensive lineman Kevin Dotson and his first opportunity to self determine his own destiny. Until now, his NFL career has followed an NFL direction that had landed him to compete for the Pittsburgh Steelers until he was demoted and eventually traded to the LA Rams. Now, for the first time in his professional football career, fans are insisting that the team must sign him.

But the Rams no longer have the cotractual leverage to compel Dotson to willingly extend his contract to play in horns in 2024. The best that the team can do is offer him a reasonable amount of money, and hope that his experience in Los Angeles California was so positive and fulfilling that he will gladly sign on the dotted line.

But it's his choice, something that gets lost in the shuffle right now.

If nothing else, the experience over the failed attempt to re-sign veteran OLB Von Miller, a valuable free agent, has taught me that the organization can do everything the right way, and still lose out to a player who finally has an opportunity to reunite with a former coach or player, move to a part of the country that they favor over Los Angeles, California, or simply want to line their pockets than GM Les Snead is willing to pay.

And who can blame the players? The upheaval of just up and moving due to a football player's contractual obligations forces players to pull up their roots and go. That impacts their personal lives, plus the lives of their family and friends too. And it's all for a career that may not last even four years. After all, professional football is a violent sport. Who can truly blame a guy for trying to get the most money that he can think of as quickly as possible?

Interior offensive lineman Kevin Dotson has made it four seasons in the NFL. Now, with an expriing rookie contract, he has his first opportunity to score a big payday. Will he focus on seeking the biggest paycheck? Or does the chance of winning a Super Bowl with his new team appeal to him? Let's break down the Dotson dilemma so we can all see what he is up against:

Dotson's dilemma pivots on going for bank or bling

1. I: Go for the bank
2. II: Go for the bling

I: Go for the bank

The truth is that the market for an incredibly fast-rising NFL offensive guard could be anything in the 2024 NFL Free Agency market. Let's be clear, though. Kevin Dotson was acquired by the LA Rams in 2023 for more than his potential fit on the Rams' offensive line. The guy was incredible value, to the tune of costing the cash-strapped team less than $2.3 million for the 2023 NFL season, The trade for Dotson was more than football-related. Last season it was financially motivated as well.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise for Dotson to seek a huge payday. But what might his new contract offers look like? Per Spotrac.com, Dotson's value is projected as high as $16.4 million per year. Per Over The Cap.com, Dotson's valuation for free agency comes in at a far more modest $5.85 million per year. That is a huge range that certainly complicates any hopes for a quick and easily negotiated extension.

In a market of uncertainty, the team can only hope for the best while preparing for the worst. There is no shortage of interior offensive linemen who are currently all due to hit the 2024 NFL Free Agency market. With 63 projected free agents, that would mean that nearly all 32 teams have lost, and could sign, as many as two veterans long before the 2024 NFL Draft.

But Dotson is no just any ole veteran offensive guard. He is young and is a rising star, putting up one of the best seasons for an offensive guard in 2023. That should attract plenty of window shoppers, and might even lure as many as five or more NFL teams to come calling with a lucrative contract in hand.

How rich might those contract offers be? Indianapolis Colts offensive guard Quenton Nelson signed a four-year $80 million contract extension in September 2022. Green Bay Packers offensive guard Elgton Jenkins signed a four-year $68 million contract extension in December 2022. With those two contracts as a template, Kevin Dotson can command a huge contract in 2024, perhaps one that is far beyond what the Rams front office might be willing to pay him.

II: Go for the bling

At some point in an NFL player's career, money is no longer enough, There is working for a paycheck, and then there is the career that becomes fun, the type of employment where you laugh on the job, wake up before the morning alarm chimes, and the overall culture that goes beyond co-workers and teammates, and crosses the border into friendships and family.

You might think that the demands of the NFL might make creating friendships and family in the sport more difficult, but the opposite is true. Coaches and teammates have to develop rapid trust in one another, and as such open themselves up to creating new friendships and bonds forged on the practice field and in the locker room.

Money is one thing, but achievement and job satisfaction are real motivators as well. It will be tough for Kevin Dotson to view the LA Rams football team as anything short of a Super Bowl-caliber team in 2024. And that lends itself to the other road not taken in terms of his career path.

There is always the instant gratification motivation of going for the biggest paycheck. But Von Miller opted to go for the most guaranteed money, but has been a bust for the Buffalo Bills. He has one more year on his current contract, but neither he nor the Bills front office can be pleased with how events have played out for him.

Kevin Dotson is the right fit for the LA Rams offense, and it was apparent almost as soon as he took over the starting role at right guard. He has earned high praise from the coaches and teammates, and veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein has even lobbied hard for the team to extend Dotson. That drops the clues of just how well he is appreciated and respected in the locker room right now.

The Rams are a team that is back in the playoffs. And they should be viewed as a team that is capable of another Super Bowl appearance. That is not always the highest priority for free agents, but perhaps it should be. Money always seems to find players who earn a Super Bowl rint. But Super Bowl rings seldom seem to find players who chase big stacks of Benjamins.

I have no doubt in my mind that the Rams will make a fair offer to extend Kevin Dotson. But it will not be up to the Rams whether he stays or goes. That decision will ultimately be up to Kevin Dotson himself, and which path ultimately appeals to him.