Rams cap space — 2023, 2024

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  • #144029
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    Sights on 2023, 2024 and beyond: How Rams are approaching the upcoming season and the future

    PHOENIX – What was alluded to back in January became formally public last Friday when it comes to the Rams’ intentions for 2023 and beyond.

    Take the foot off the gas some in 2023 for a healthier cap situation in 2024 and beyond.

    “I do know this, (Chief Operating Officer) Kevin (Demoff) did a brilliant job articulating it,” Snead told theRams.com Monday at the annual league meeting, referring to Demoff’s letter sent to Season Ticket Members (STMs) on Friday. “We can never be that eloquent. But all the variables he mentioned in the letter is what we’ve been discussing, not necessarily for 2023 but 2024 and beyond. We knew we were going to have to, at some point, engineer a healthier, more sustainable cap situation so that we could take advantage of opportunities in the future. But at some point, right, you have to take a step back to take two steps forward, and that’s a little bit what we’re doing in terms of the cap situation.”

    In that letter to STMs, Demoff explained that the franchise effectively faced two choices this offseason. They could either restructure contracts to give themselves another shot with the core of their roster – but that would necessitate a “total rebuild” over the next few seasons – or focus on restocking their draft capital and creating a healthier long-term cap situation, which would help them compete in 2023 and beyond.

    Ultimately, Los Angeles chose the latter, which paved the way for some difficult decisions. It released outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and linebacker Bobby Wagner, then traded Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins for tight end Hunter Long and a 2023 third-round pick (No. 77 overall). More contributors have departed since the start of free agency March 15.

    “I told some of our beat (writers) today, when they’re like, ‘Oh, well, kind of a reset year,'” Pastoors told theRams.com on Monday. “I was like, maybe I missed it, when was the last time we were heavily involved in free agency? This is pretty normal for us. I know (general manager) Les (Snead) probably shared, look at the last four years, we probably lead the NFL in comp picks. And a lot of – whether it was Matthew (Stafford), Aaron (Donald), Cooper (Kupp), those deals got done last year, but really those deals were for ’23 and beyond, right? All of them had time left on current deals. Obviously coming off a Super Bowl, we did some things out of the ordinary for them, but those were basically, had we not done them, we’d be staring at them right now, so we actually got ahead of things, full-knowing what was ahead ’23, ’24, ’25.”

    The Rams’ lack of involvement in free agency isn’t a total surprise – Snead said that historically, during the unrestricted period, they’ve tried to take advantage of the compensatory pick formula, so they’ve never really been active in free agency.

    And though those moves mean the Rams may be taking on a little more dead money then they’ve had previously, Pastoors said it will clear up space next year to get them back to where they want to be and give them the flexibility they have always had. Demoff wrote in that letter that the Rams are currently projected to have more than $60 million in projected cap space in 2024.

    Meanwhile, factoring in the pick acquired from the Dolphins, the Rams currently have 11 total draft picks to work with in this year’s draft, and “nearly all” of their 2024 draft picks.

    “Right now is the process of it,” Snead said. “And with that, we’re engaged in the draft preparation process, which is a big part, and will be a big part of the next two years. We have 11 draft picks this year, (and) in next year’s draft, we expect to get four comp picks again. Again, they’re gonna be later with all the unrestricted (free agents) that we lost, but we also gain a first rounder and expect to have 11 picks. So what we’ve said is, over the next two years, we have 22-plus picks to begin the remodel, the retool, our chapter three.”

    The projected cap flexibility will give the Rams the chance to be active in free agency next year – though that doesn’t necessarily guarantee they will – and, depending on how the season goes, also potentially reinvest in their homegrown talent and young players who emerge.

    “We could spend in free agency, (but) that doesn’t mean we’re suddenly going to,” Pastoors said of that projected cap space. “Now I think it gives us a little bit of flexibility to look internally and see if we can get ahead on some of these deals with some of our other guys. We’ve just been riding it so tight for so long that you actually haven’t had the flexibility to really retain too many of our own. I think it gives us some of that flexibility.”

    In conversations with Pastoors, Demoff and Snead, Rams head coach Sean McVay said “you understood what was coming down the road,” the importance of having that necessary agility and that a more disciplined approach was inevitable.

    The Rams have previously been able to figure out different avenues to construct a competitive team. They’ve also successfully relied on rookies and young players before – look no further than the 2017 class with wide receiver Cooper Kupp, former Rams safety John Johnson III and former Rams tight end Gerald Everett.

    Now, it’s about having a vision for the players they onboard this year and seeing how they develop.

    “A disciplined approach is something that we knew we were gonna have to do,” McVay said. “And never easy, but but we’re excited about figuring out the right way.”

    #144215
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    #144287
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    .

    roberto clemente@rclemente2121
    interestingly, the rams and eagles rank #1 and #2 in most cap space eaten up by dead money since 2017, which seems like a bad thing, yet both teams have been to the super bowl twice in that time.

    then you have a team like the chargers – no team has burned less cap space on dead money than the bolts since 2017, but what do they have to show for it? 3 playoff wins?

    #144290
    Avatar photoBilly_T
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    Best way to manage a cap, avoid dead money, and still win? Take advantage of rookie contracts, especially the QB’s. Don’t redo them early, just cuz it feels good at the time.

    Same goes for “core” veterans. I can understand Donald’s contract redo, cuz I think he really would have retired, even a few years ago, without it. He had radically out-played that contract. But I would have waited on Kupp, and definitely wouldn’t have backed up the proverbial truck for Stafford.

    Those contracts forced the Rams to dump good players this offseason, like Wagner, Ramsey, A’Shawn, Scott, Gaines, and Floyd. I think they’re a better team if they keep ’em, especially the first four, and I’m betting they woulda if they had had the cap room . . .

    Of course, if they had just listened to me on every facet of the game, they would have won every Super Bowl from 1967 to the present!

    ;>)

    #144368
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    Elvis

    3 of the top dead money teams for 2023 are the Rams, Bucs and Eagles.

    Eagles were in the SB last year, are expected to be good this year and have over $54 mil in dead cap. Howie Roseman is generally considered to be a genius.

    Rams won the SB in ’21 with a ton of dead cap. Bucs won it in ’20. It’s okay to take on future cap debt in the quest for a Lombardi.

    I think a lot of people have this wrong while the Howie Rosemans and Les Sneads of the world have it right.

    #144381
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    #144400
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    #144754
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