Rams set priorities for free agency
Fisher, Snead point to re- signing players in the secondary as their main goal.
Peyton Manning is retired and off the market.
Robert Griffin III is available, and Brock Osweiler and Ryan Fitzpatrick are among the unrestricted freeagent quarterbacks who could sign with new teams.
All are more high- profile options than Case Keenum, the Rams’ presumptive starter.
The Rams could create competition at quarterback when the annual frenzy that is the NFL free agency begins Wednesday. However, Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead have said that re- signing free agents in the team’s secondary is their top priority.
“You’ve got to have a plan, and Plan A is to get our guys done,” Snead said last week after a team meeting in Manhattan Beach. “And then there’s a [ Plan] B and a C.”
With the salary cap at $ 155.27 million, NFL teams have about $ 1 billion in combined available cap space to spend. The Jacksonville Jaguars, with more than $ 79 million, have the most.
The Rams have about $ 45 million in cap space after signing cornerback Trumaine Johnson last week to a one- year franchise tender for nearly $ 14 million.
The 48- hour window known as the “legal tampering ” period began Monday, allowing representatives for free agents to negotiate with teams but not sign contracts. They can start signing contracts Wednesday at 1 p. m. PST.
The Rams have 12 unrestricted free agents, including cornerback Janoris Jenkins, safety Rodney McLeod and safety- linebacker Mark Barron. Snead said last month that re- signing those three and Johnson was “priority A.”
“We’ve got a sound, rational plan to get it done,” Snead said. “We’ll be competitive and I think, obviously, getting a chance to play for Coach Fisher and coming to L. A. can be a good tiebreaker.”
Johnson is in the fold for this season and the Rams will continue to negotiate a long- term deal until the July 15 deadline.
Jenkins, the other starting cornerback last season, hired a new agent last week and has indicated via social media that he was seeking a larger payday than what the Rams were offering.
Linemen William Hayes, Eugene Sims and Nick Fairley also are unrestricted free agents from a defense that was regarded as the team’s strength last season.
Hayes is expected to garner interest from several teams and Fairley also could be targeted.
Keenum is among five restricted free agents, and Snead has said, “We’re not going to let him go somewhere else.”
Keenum said last week that he was buoyed by his coaches’ confidence in him.
“I want to be the leader that this team needs,” he said. “It’s not just on the field on Sundays. It’s not just on the f ield during the week in practice. It’s off the field. It’s in the meeting room ... It’s in the weight room. It’s in the cafeteria, talking to guys. All those things are very important to me.”
Fisher and Snead, however, have said the Rams are “always looking” to upgrade at every position, and would explore options via free agency, trades and the draft.
“When you’re focused on your guys, that’s the priority,” Snead said, adding, “Once the dust settles there, you then look and see what’s left and can something help you. Does something fit?”
Free- agent options are limited for a top- f light quarterback.
Since Manning announced his retirement Sunday, retaining Osweiler is among the Denver Broncos’ top priorities. The Washington Redskins released Griffin, the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner who was the second pick of the 2012 draft behind Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck but lost his job to fourth- round pick Kirk Cousins. The New York Jets are expected to try to retain Fitzpatrick, a journeyman who is 33.
But the Rams need more than a quarterback to help a passing offense that ranked last in the NFL last season.
The market lacks a marquee receiver after the Chicago Bears put their franchise tag on Alshon Jeffery, who signed a tender offer this week. Cincinnati’s Marvin Jones ( 65 passes, four for touchdowns last season) and Cleveland’s Travis Benjamin ( 68 passes, f ive for touchdowns) are a couple of potential free- agent prizes.
Center Tim Barnes and kicker Greg Zuerlein are among other Rams free agents Snead has said he hopes to retain.
“You get your guys done, and then it’s, ‘ OK, from a budget standpoint you can go get this player, but that player usually just got done at the same time,’ ” Snead said. “And then everything settles and you get to what we always call Stage 2, Tier 2.”
With agents ramping up negotiations for clients Monday and Tuesday, the stage is set for a f lurry of signings Wednesday.