Rams: They make some moves to get under the NFL’s salary cap.
They’re now in better position to sign free agents
On Monday, free agent tight end Gerald Everett looked ready to pack his bags, posting a “thank you” to Rams fans on Instagram.
“The time has definitely flown and these past four seasons in Los Angeles have been the most thrilling, exciting and eye-opening years of my life and career,” Everett wrote, saying L.A. will always be “another home.”
The gram was insta, but the move out of town wasn’t. As of Tuesday afternoon, Everett hadn’t signed with another team. His future, like those of cornerback Troy Hill, center Austin Blythe and other key unsigned Rams, remained up in the air as the NFL headed for the official start of the freeagent signing period today at 1 p.m.
Two free agents left the Rams on Tuesday, six-year backup running back Malcolm Brown signing with the Dolphins and 2020 waiver pickup outside linebacker Derek Rivers signing with the Texans.
Meanwhile, the Rams got ready for possible signings and re-signings by maneuvering to get under the league’s $182.5 million salary cap before the deadline today.
The Rams announced in a tweet late Tuesday afternoon that they had gotten under the cap, apparently doing it entirely by restructuring long-term contracts and without the release of any players. A trade remained a possibility.
The team was reported to have restructured the contracts of cornerback Jalen Ramsey and wide receiver Robert Woods and to be reworking the deals of defensive tackle Aaron Donald, wide receiver Cooper Kupp and left tackle Andrew Whitworth, taking salary that counted against the cap in 2021 and moving it to future years.
With only the restructurings of Ramsey’s five-year, $100 million contract (saving the team $12 million against the cap next season) and Woods’ four-year, $65 million deal (saving $8 million) tallied so far, the payroll tracker overthecap.com said early Tuesday the Rams had trimmed their cap deficit from $37.9 million to $17.9 million.
Redoing Donald’s $135 million for six years, Kupp’s $47.25 for three and Whitworth’s $30 million for three was expected to get the Rams the rest of the way under the cap. They also can make similar changes in Matthew Stafford’s $135 million, five-year contract after the trade for the former Lions quarterback becomes official Wednesday.
No longer the farthest over the cap of any team, the Rams must get far enough under to fit in the re-signing of outside linebacker Leonard Floyd on a four-year, $64 million contract agreed to Monday.
With Monday’s departures of safety John Johnson to the Browns, outside linebacker Samson Ebukam to the 49ers and long snapper Jake McQuaide to the Cowboys — and Tuesday’s loss of Brown and Rivers — the Rams had six remaining unrestricted free agents.
The two most intriguing are Everett and Hill.
With the Chargers’ Hunter Henry and the Titans’ Jonnu Smith both signed by the Patriots this week, Everett is one of the best tight ends still on the market.
Hill, 29, the St. Bonaventure High (Ventura) and Oregon product who was undrafted in 2015, finally got to start a full 16 games in 2020 and ran back two interceptions and a fumble for touchdowns.