Why won't the LA Rams just tag LT Alaric Jackson and be done with it?

Some view the Los Angeles Rams success or failure in the off-season to be hitched to the team's ability to renegotiate an acceptable contract with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. But that is a contract that is unlike to reach any resolution quickly. And do the Rams really 'succeed,' if they lock themselves into a multi-year contract with a veteran quarterback who they already have under contract?

That seems to defy logic and common sense.

The true challenge of the offseason, and perhaps the player that too few are talking about, is the vital team-friendly extension of left tackle Alaric Jackson. Let's be honest. If the team hopes to keep veteran quarterback safe and healthy in the sunset years of his NFL career, the team cannot count on a rookie blind-side offensive tackle to get the job done. Whatever you may or may not realize about Alaric Jackson, one thing is clear: He is the successor to now-retired LT Andrew Whitworth, and he has done an excellent job as the team's starting left tackle.

When you consider that the team signed him after the 2021 NFL Draft, his meteoric rise to the starting role for the team at left tackle is even more astounding. Now, he faces free agency after his rookie contract has expired, putting the Rams front office at a perilous fork in the road. Do the Rams extend Alaric Jackson, sticking with their tried-and-true starting left tackle? Or do the Rams try a different option?

The challenge with Alaric Jackson is much the same as with any extension, free agent signing, or drafted player. Any resources directed to compensate Jackson are depleted in terms of their use to sign/pay another player. That means that any 'just pay the guy his money,' reactions on social media that you will undoubtedly witness come at a steep price.

You see, the Rams have a complex challenge on the offensive side of the football in 2025. Unlike a defense that has water under the bridge in terms of young players, a new defensive philosophy, and finding the right roles for the right players, the Rams offense is challenged from the opposite direction. How can this offense bolster its ability to score points? And how must this team address the two offensive tackle positions in the offseason?

After all, the team not only must contend with the expired contract of LT Alaric Jackson, but right tackle Rob Havenstein is growing long in the tooth as well. The team must also have an eye on Rob Havenstein's logical successor this offseason. So how can the team resolve Jackson's expired contract?

One option tossed around is the use of the NFL Franchise or Transition tag? What exactly is that?