Watkins bolts from the Rams
Receiver reportedly will sign with Kansas City; cornerback and club agree to terms.
Free-agent receiver is heading to Kansas City, but the club reaches deal to keep Robey-Coleman.
A news conference to introduce players the Rams acquired in offseason trades and signed as free agents is scheduled for Wednesday.
The free agent the Rams perhaps wanted most will not be there. Receiver Sammy Watkins, acquired by the Rams before last season, reportedly is set to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday, the start of the new league year.
The Rams have agreed to terms with cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, retaining depth in a talented position group that now includes Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, multiple Pro Bowl selections who will be introduced Wednesday after the headline-grabbing trades that brought them to the Rams become official.
Safety Lamarcus Joyner, who last week received an $11.2-million franchise tag from the Rams, also is scheduled to be on a conference call.
The Rams took a calculated risk by choosing to tag Joyner rather than Watkins, which would have cost nearly $16 million. They continued to pursue Watkins with the hope that demand for his services on the freeagent market would not put his price out of reach.
But the market spoke. Watkins will receive a threeyear, $48-million contract, with $30 million guaranteed, according to NFL.com.
The Rams acquired Watkins last August in a trade for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a second-round pick in this year’s draft. The Rams viewed the deal as an opportunity to add a deep threat, though one with a history of injuries. If Watkins remained healthy and flourished, they planned to consider signing him to a longterm contract or using the franchise tag to let him prove his value.
They presumed that if he turned out to be a one-year rental, they would receive a third-round compensatory draft pick in 2019 for losing him as a premium free agent.
Watkins caught 39 passes, eight for touchdowns. The statistics, though, did not reflect his value as a threat that opened the field for receivers such as Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, and running back Todd Gurley.
“It’s important when you look at the way he, and Robert, and Cooper, and our tight ends, and Todd — those pieces all come together to fit your offense,” coach Sean McVay said at the recent NFL combine. “And that’s why it’s so important to get him back.”
Now that Watkins is gone, the Rams could look to Josh Reynolds, a fourthround draft pick last year. Reynolds caught 11 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown last season.
“Very excited about him no matter who the first three receivers are,” Rams general manager Les Snead said at the combine.
The Rams also are expected to monitor the receivers market.
While the search for pass catchers continues, the Rams’ need for pass defenders appears nearly complete.
Terms of Robey-Coleman’s deal were not disclosed, but he agreed to a three-year, $15.75-million contract, with $8 million guaranteed, according to NFL.com
Robey-Coleman, 26, signed with the Rams as a free agent before last season and mainly played as a slot cornerback. The former USC standout performed well in Wade Phillips’ 3-4 scheme, starting four games and intercepting two passes.
After the season, RobeyColeman said that his preference was to remain with the Rams. Now he is part of a remade secondary that includes Peters, Talib and veteran Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields, who did not play last season because of concussions but signed a contract with the Rams last week.
Kayvon Webster — a starter last season who is recovering from Achilles surgery — Troy Hill and Kevin Peterson are among other cornerbacks on the roster.
The Rams on Monday submitted a minimum-salary tender to Hill, an exclusive-rights free agent. The tender was for $705,000.
The trades for Peters and Talib ostensibly ended cornerback Trumaine Johnson’s tenure with the Rams. Johnson, who earned nearly $31 million playing under the franchise tag the last two seasons, reportedly has agreed to a deal with the New York Jets that will pay him $15 million per season.
Tight end Derek Carrier, who played for the Rams last season, reportedly reached agreement on a deal with the Oakland Raiders. Greg Olson, the Rams’ quarterbacks coach last season, is the Raiders’ offensive coordinator under new coach Jon Gruden.