big contracts & the 2021 cap

Goff’s extension kicks in in 2021. At that point they will have both him and AD with their big 2nd contracts, and maybe Ramsey too (Ramsey will be in the 20 M range).

In terms of what that means now, it makes it challenging to choose who you extend. It’s just cap space and how you fit in your big contracts. You can have too many of those, which then crowds out the number of important guys you can have on more modest, “not stars but needed good players” type contracts. It becomes just stars and then just cheap contracts with young developing players.

How many other big contracts can they have besides Goff, AD, and Ramsey? Without digging too deep into it, along with those 3, I figure they could have at most 4 other big contract guys. Past that and you might be putting too big a percentage of the cap into your stars.

So let’s say 4. But–there’s more than 4 candidates, including both guys they have signed already and also future signings. Beyond The Three there’s also Johnson, Fowler, Littleton, Brockers (though probably not), Kupp, Cooks, and Everet…plus also you have to think about Gurley. It’s quite possible that at least 3 of those guys will have to walk. Maybe more. (Fowler, for example, could be expensive.)

I see Rams fans all over the place discussing whether to keep Fowler or Littleton. It’s possible, though, that they could lose BOTH. I suppose one approach is to let guys walk if there is someone behind them. Howard is behind Littleton and the Rams love him. Is there someone behind Fowler? Maybe. (Thinking of Obo and/or Patrick).

Can’t keep em all.

This is the world of the new “perennial winner” Rams. Good players will walk.

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