Who will be the next Rams player to sign an extension with the team?

The Los Angeles Rams had an incredible day during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, with the team agreeing to terms with veteran QB Matthew Stafford, and then instantly pivoting to extend his blind-side offensive tackle Alaric Jackson. That is superb strategy, one that has been proven to be a successful pattern time and time again in the NFL. But now, what will the Rams front office do?

It feels like a huge question.

We know that the 2025 NFL Draft is loaded to the brim with talented running backs, tight ends, and defensive linemen. But even with an overload of talented rookies, will the Rams risk their competitive standing for an NFL Playoff berth by adding rookies projected to start for the team in 2025?

It may come down to reaching agreements with key veterans who can start for the team right out of the gates, but signed to a team-friendly contract that makes sense to demote that player to a rotational role as well. Of course, those type of contracts are not instantly agreed to, and that could mean that the Rams next extension may take some time to negotiate as NFL agents hold off until they can gauge the level of interest from other NFL teams.

Still, the sooner the better from the Rams perspective. Will the team bring back more veterans? Or does the team want to wait and see how the 2025 NFL Free Agency market shapes up? After all, if the NFL views plenty of value in the 2025 rookie class, veterans at those surplus positions will be forced to lower their salary demands to ensure they end up on a roster this year.

Still, that doesn't tell anyone much about who the team is most likely to extend next. While the priority for the Rams front office is rather dependent upon a number of variables, both within and outside the team's control, here are my quick and dirty priorities for the Rams front office to re-sign this offseason. They are:

(1) - DT Bobby Brown III

While many fans judge the production of anyone playing on the defensive line by quarterback sacks, doing so is both in error and myopic. Just as important as the guys who are freed up to make the tackle are the players who willingly sacrifice themself to engage blockers to free up tacklers. They are the true unsung heroes of the defense, the guys whose job is to make other players shine in the spotlight. One such selfless player on the Rams defensive front is nose tackle Bobby Brown III.

While it may have taken time to unlock Brown's potential in the Rams defense, he has shown a stubbornly consistent growth in both role and production on the defensive front. While suiting up for just 472 defensive snaps in 2024, Brown managed to record 44 tackles, one QB pressure, four tackles for a loss, and best of all, just one missed tackle. What we know but struggle to quantify is how much more effective his teammates performed thanks to his presence on the football field.

While there are many defensive linemen available in the 2025 NFL Draft, few can arrive and immediately deliver at the level that the Rams defense has come to rely on with Bobby Brown III. That is why I consider him the next player in line for an extension.

(2) - OLB Michael Hoecht

Even as the Rams pass rush is rather well stocked for the 2025 NFL season already, veteran DT/OLB Michael Hoecht unique versatility is ideally suited for the team to re-sign him for 2025 and beyond. Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula has already his masterful command of all defensive strategies to keep opposing offenses off balance, including blitz packages and unique defensive alignments that could place two defenders with a hand in the ground up to five or six defenders with their hands in the ground.

Few other players on the Rams roster offer that range of versatility.

The Rams optimize Michael Hoecht to devastating effect. The team has cheaper options at edge rusher, and far more productive options at the position, but not both. And it's the unique blend of affordability, production, and versatility that make Michael Hoecht an ideal option for an extension.

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(3) - WR Demarcus Robinson

With the exception of veteran WR Cooper Kupp, I don't think that any player on the Rams roster has expressed a desire to return to the team for the 2025 NFL season more earnestly and authentically as veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. And if the measuring stick was about catch rate or receiving yards, the team may have valid reasons to part ways with Robinson.

Robinson will enter his 10th NFL season, and he has turned 30 years old. So his ability to draw interest from other NFL teams is unlikely to lure him away from the Rams if they exert any effort to re-sign him. The team is facing a precipitous drop from the wide receiver room with the projected exodus of two starting wide receivers and four players from the postion in 2025. Retaining Robinson give the team a skeleton starting crew to fulfill the team's base 11-personnel on offense, and Robinson's return ensures that the offense has one veteran wide receiver who can score.

Robinson's catch rate plummeted from 66.7 percent in 2023 to 48.4 percent in 2024. Was 2024 an anomaly? Or did Robinson fall to a much less effective plateau? I suspect that it was an anomaly, and that he will rebound nicely in 2025.

(4) - QB Jimmy Garoppolo

I know it's something that I and many Rams fans wish for after the one-season contract expires on a backup quarterback, but the team had very positive results with veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and there is almost no mention of his name among NFL teams in need of a quarterback, despite the lukewarm assessment of young quarterbacks up for grabs in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The thing is, even with the team's success at persuading veteran starting quarterback Matthew Stafford to suit up for the team in 2025 (at least), the team has little evidence of having any chance for success if anything should happen to him. And yes, something has happened to Stafford every year (injury wise) since he led the team to victory in Super Bowl LVI. That forces the Rams front office to give intense scrutiny and attention to the backup quarterback role this season.

And the Rams loved how Jimmy Garoppolo handled business in 2024.

A backup quarterback is more than the bench guy. He runs the scout team's offense to prepare the defense, and he works with depth players throughout the season. On multiple occasions, the Rams were compelled to give a backup tight end or wide receiver a more significant role, and they were well prepared to handle the job.

But what sealed the deal for me was the Week 18 performance against the Seattle Seahawks starters, while he led the Rams' junior varsity squad. Despite the overwhelming odds against him, he put up the best passing day of the team's entire 2024 season. That was no accident. Jimmy Garoppolo is a solid captain of the Rams offensive aircraft carrier. And that deserves strong consideration for an encore performance.

(5) - CB Ahkello Witherspoon

I'm not really sure how the Rams developed the love-hate relationship with veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. But after putting up an incredible performance in 2023, despite signing to a bargain-basement contract, the team did not make any effort to extend him for 2024. It was not until the team lost CB Derion Kendrick for the entire season, CB Darious Williams was sent to IR with a nagging hamstring injury, and CB Tre'Davious White was a complete disaster that the team signed him to another one-year contract.

The Rams signed Witherspoon to the practice squad, but promoted him to the active roster just days later. He ended the season with 494 defensive snaps. He ended with 31 tackles, nine broken up passes, one interception, and allowed a completion rate of 65.3 percent. He missed five tackles for a rate of 13.9 percent, and surrendered two touchdown receptions.

While those are not stellar numbers, they are not horrifically bad.

Still, the team had no interested in bringing him back after the 2023 season, so I'm less optimistic that the team is interested in re-signing him this year. Still, he would be an ideal defensive back to have in the Rams secondary, if for nothing more than to ensure a matter of continuity. As we learned in 2024, continuity is necessary to ensure the team opens the season with a far better win-loss record.

(6) - WR Tutu Atwell

The Rams' relationship with swift wide receiver Tutu Atwell is another head scratcher. The team seems to have plenty of success with Atwell when he gets a chance to play, but the Rams never seem to afford him much of an opportunity. But every year, his numbers are better than better. The question is: Did Tutu Atwell improve enough in 2024 to entice an extension out of the LA Rams? I certainly hope so.

The most critical assessment about WR Tutu Atwell is the fact that he stands 5-foot-9 and tips the scales at 165 pounds. But if that is indeed a factor in not extending him, why would the Rams choose to meet with 5-foot-10, 154-pound Oregon WR Tez Johnson? Do the Rams hope to keep a lid on the cost of a speedy wide receiver for 2025? If they swap out Johnson for Atwell, how long will the team need to get Johnson involved in the offense?

The Rams seem to be drawn to speed at the wide receiver position. But once they have a speedy guy, they don't have the foggiest idea what to do with him, at least not over the duration of a full 17-game season. Atwell was targeted 62 times in 2024, and caught 42 of those passes for 562 yards. Had he been targeted twice that number, or 124 times, he could have hauled in 84 passes for 1124 yards. That would have placed his season at better than Cooper Kupp's 2020 season, a year that he was targeted 124 times.

I'd love to see Tutu Atwell get a real chance to contribute in this offense. He has shown plenty of heart as he has grown his role. I think he has definitely earned an extension. But it doesn't matter what I think. It's what the Rams think that counts.

(7) - DL Neville Gallimore

Last but not least is defensive lineman Neville Gallimore. You may wonder why a defensive lineman who played just 264 defensive snaps last season would warrant any mention when it comes to extensions, as the team did not value him enough to give him a significant role on the defensive front last season. And per his Pro Football Focus grades for 2024, he did not play very well in the regular season. Well, about that. He seemed to find the switch to show up in a big way in the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

Standing 6-foot-2 and tipping the scales at 315 pounds, Gallimore is a powerful and stocky defensive lineman who is rather unique in what he brings to a defensive front. Because he is built like a fireplug, your might guess that he is a blocker-gobbler run stuffer who struggles to pressure the quarterback. But the truth of the matter is that he is less proficient at stopping the run.

And in 45 defensive snaps in two postseason games, he managed to record 2.5 quarterback sacks, six tackles, two tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits, and even one safety. That is some serious defensive production on the biggest stage and under the brightest lights.

Gallimore may not be a starter. But he is about to enter his sixth NFL season, is still 28 years old, and his presence in the Rams rotation at nose tackle ensures the team of having a solid rotation of contributors. And it's nearly impossible to gloss over a guy who generated 2.5 quarterback sacks in just two postseason games.

I don't believe that many teams will target Gallimore simply from his postseason spike in production. And that leaves the door wide open for the Rams to extend him for a team-friendly contract. Gallimore reminds me of the adage: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." Yes, there may be plenty of defensive linemen on the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. But Neville Gallimore is a defensive tackle who can get after the quarterback.

It could take months to get a rookie defensive linemen to that level. Better to go with a sure thing, than risk swinging and missing.

As always, thanks for reading.

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