Who will be the next LA Rams player to sign a huge payday?

The LA Rams are running a tight budget this season, and rightfully so. After committing a lot of money and converting future draft picks into present day NFL star veterans, the LA Rams discovered that they had come to the end of their run during the 2022 NFL season. Their run was a string of five consecutive NFL winning seasons that included three NFC Western Division titles, two Super Bowl appearance, and one Super Bowl victory.

That's a pretty impressive run for the first five years of LA Rams Head Coach Sean McVay's career. But we cannot ignore that the LA Rams front office played a huge role in those accomplishments, finding, acquiring, and ultimately compensating the players who went above and beyond the call of duty to deliver on game day.

LA Rams roster could uncover true stars this season

Still, the LA Rams roster was not assembled simply by paying anyone and everyone whose contract had expired. For every WR Cooper Kupp who signed a new contract for a massive pay increase, there was at least one Robert Woods who was ultimately traded away, or a John Johnson III, whose expiring contract came with a need to sign on with a new NFL team to land a high dollar level of compensation.

Even when the Rams were willing to cut huge checks, the LA Rams front office did not just pay players. Each contract extension or free agency signing had a strategy behind it. Whether it was to secure an elite player to a key position, be it cornerback, wide receiver, blindside offensive tackle or pass rusher, the Rams were willing to compensate for game changers.

But now, with what is arguably the changing of the guard, the LA Rams are holding fast to their purse strings today in the hopes of amassing a new stake to use to pay or to add significant talent next year. But the Rams roster is playing the 2023 NFL season, and the team may be pleasantly surprised by a player or two who outperforms expectations. Who might be a pleasant surprise who could land a solid contract from the Rams as a result? I have three players who come to mind: