Rams keep Floyd
The Rams agreed to terms to retain edge rusher Leonard Floyd and made a move to ensure the return of cornerback Darious Williams, but they said goodbye to safety John Johnson, linebacker Samson Ebukam and long snapper Jake McQuaide as the NFL’s so-called legal tampering period began in advance of the official start of free agency Wednesday.
Floyd, who had a careerbest 101⁄2 sacks last season, agreed to a four-year deal that could be worth as much as $64 million, a person with knowledge of the situation said. The person requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the deal until it becomes official.
Floyd, 28, played last season on what was essentially a one-year, $10-million deal, but he earned $13.25 million by reaching all incentives.
The Rams put a firstround tender on Williams, a restricted free agent. Williams, who turned 28 on Monday, had a team-best four interceptions. A firstround tender is worth nearly $4.8 million. Last season, Williams earned $750,000, according to overthecap.com.
Restricted free agents can negotiate with and receive offer sheets from other teams, but the team that tendered them has a right to match. If the Rams declined to match an offer for Williams, the new team would owe the Rams a firstround draft pick as compensation.
Johnson agreed to terms with the Cleveland Browns on a three-year deal that includes $24 million in guarantees and could be worth as much as $33.75 million, according to Cleveland.com.
Ebukam agreed to terms with San Francisco and McQuaide with Dallas.
— Gary Klein