Rams sign LOT Whitworth…Britt to Cleveland

Can confirm #Rams have signed FA OT Andrew Whitworth. FYI: Expect Rams to be more active today. WR specifically

— Vincent Bonsignore (@DailyNewsVinny) March 9, 2017

#Rams deal for Andrew Whitworth: 3 years, $36M w $15M guar, including $2.5M guar in Year 2. Deal pays more $13M in Year 1 and $24.5M over 2

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017

Framework of Andrew Whitworth deal between Rams and @_SportsTrust: 3 years, $36M, $15M guar, including $2.5M guar in Year 2.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2017

The #Browns are signing WR Kenny Britt, source said (as @caplannfl reported). 4 years, $32.5M.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2017

Rams to swipe LT Andrew Whitworth from Bengals

Kevin Patra

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000791764/article/rams-to-swipe-lt-andrew-whitworth-from-bengals

The Los Angeles Rams found a solution to their left tackle problem.

The Rams have the framework for a deal in place with veteran Andrew Whitworth, the offensive tackle’s agent announced on Thursday morning.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the deal is for three years, worth $36 million with $15 million guaranteed, including $2.5 million guaranteed in Year 2. The deal pays more than $13 million in the first season and $24.5 million over the first two years.

It might be a haul to pay a 35-year-old, but Whitworth was by far the best left tackle hitting the open market — and there appears little immediate aid in the draft. He sat No. 18 overall on Around The NFL’s Top 101 Free Agents list. The next true left tackle on the list doesn’t pop up until Russell Okung at No. 46.

Rapoport adds that the plan is to move disappointing first-round pick Greg Robinson to guard — a plan GM Les Snead intimated last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Swiping Whitworth from the Cincinnati Bengals is a coup for Snead. The attempt to grow a young line the past several seasons has failed miserably for the Rams. Adding a veteran presence in Whitworth on Jared Goff’s blind side and swinging Robinson inside could stabilize the unit.

The 11-year pro ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall tackle in 2016 and was the best pass blocker among the group.

Los Angeles boasted one of the worst blocking units in the NFL last season. The group struggled to open holes for Todd Gurley and couldn’t protect whichever quarterback was under center. Adding Whitworth to replace the turnstile Robinson immediately solves the Rams biggest problem.

Now Snead and new coach Sean McVay must continue plugging the plethora of holes on the roster.

Bengals make huge mistake in losing Andrew Whitworth to Rams

By Katherine Terrell

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/232765/bengals-make-huge-mistake-in-losing-andrew-whitworth-to-rams

CINCINNATI — This one could sting for a long time.

Left tackle Andrew Whitworth was expected to play his entire career in Cincinnati. On the opening day of free agency, he’s on his way to Los Angeles to sign with the Rams.

Whitworth is getting a three-year, $36 million contract with the Rams that includes $15 million guaranteed — with $2.5 million guaranteed in the second year — according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Bengals’ start to free agency already looked bleak before the signing period, which officially starts at 4 p.m. Thursday.

Now they have a hole at left tackle and a huge void in their locker room.

The Bengals wanted to keep Whitworth, and he wanted to return to Cincinnati. So why didn’t it happen?

It seemed the Bengals targeted Whitworth as their first priority among their free agents, a group that also includes Kevin Zeitler and Dre Kirkpatrick.

But it was a head-scratching, and perhaps telling, sign that the first major signing of free agency for Cincinnati was not Whitworth, but wide receiver Brandon LaFell.

It wasn’t that the Bengals didn’t try. A source close to the negotiations said they were competitive in their offers, but the gap between the money offered in the first year and the amount of fully guaranteed money the second year was just too great.

Whitworth, now 35 and potentially on his last contract, wanted more protection than a one-year deal.

For several years now, the Bengals have been reluctant to give him long-term security based on his age. The Bengals didn’t want to mortgage their future salary cap by giving a huge deal to a player who is the oldest at his position in the NFL.

The Bengals tried to plan for this day, looking to the future by drafting tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the first and second rounds of the 2015 draft. But Whitworth was just too good to lose his spot, and Ogbuehi and Fisher weren’t good enough to even challenge him for it.

To understand what happened, it would be necessary to go back to 2015, when Whitworth and the Bengals were trying to negotiate a contract extension. The talks dragged on through September of that year before the Bengals gave in and gave Whitworth a one-year, $9 million extension.

The Bengals’ reluctance to move forward with the negotiations did not sit well with Whitworth’s camp. It was a bitter taste that lingered.

It appeared that both sides were moving forward when the Bengals made offers to Whitworth’s representatives in the weeks leading up to free agency, but they did not take the necessary steps to ensure he would not leave for another team.

A source close to Whitworth wondered why the team did not place the franchise tag ($14.8 million for one year), or transition tag ($12.6 million) on him. The transition tag would have allowed them to assess Whitworth’s value while having the opportunity to match, while the franchise tag, though expensive if Whitworth actually played on it, could have protected their investment while they continued to negotiate.

The Bengals did neither.

Now the team is essentially left scrambling. They continue to express optimism in Ogbuehi and Fisher, who were drafted with the idea that they would be the tackles of the future. Neither has come close to looking like a full-time starter.

Ogbuehi struggled so much at right tackle that the team resorted to rotating him with veteran Eric Winston before finally benching him. They moved Whitworth to guard for one game so they could see if Ogbuehi could play left tackle, which he said was his natural position.

It didn’t go much better on that side.

With Whitworth gone, the Bengals have lost the longest-tenured player in their locker room, a valuable leader and the best player on their offensive line.

The team might have balked at paying one of their oldest players so much money, but last year proved Whitworth, who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate, is still as good as he ever was. They should have gritted their teeth and made every effort to match.

Now they’re left watching as one of their best players suits up elsewhere.

..

Hard to overstate the loss of Andrew Whitworth to the Bengals. Was a steadying force in a locker room that's always had characters in it.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 9, 2017

TSRF wrote:

Sounds old. I hope he holds up.

Maybe he is eating the same diet that Tom Brady is…

Well he was drafted in 2006. That’s the same year as Staley, who still starts with SF, and 2 years after Jason Peters, who starts for the Eagles, and 1 year before Joe Thomas. So tackles can play effectively for a while.

At 35, Andrew Whitworth sought the long-term security the Rams offered

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/232921/at-35-andrew-whitworth-sought-security-that-rams-offered

CINCINNATI — The departure of Cincinnati Bengals left tackle Andrew Whitworth essentially came down to long-term security, according to his agent Pat Dye.

Whitworth agreed to a three-year deal Thursday with the Los Angeles Rams. The deal is worth $36 million with $15 million guaranteed.

The Bengals’ best offer was a one-year deal worth $10 million, Dye said, refuting reports that the Bengals were willing to go as high as $11-12 million. The possibility of a second year was not on the table.

Andrew Whitworth preferred to stay in Cincinnati, but the Rams’ offer proved significantly more competitive. Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire
Whitworth will make $7.5 million in base salary in Year 1 with a $5 million signing bonus up front, essentially giving him almost $13 million in salary in 2017. He has the opportunity to make up to $24.5 million over the first two years of the deal.

What interested Whitworth the most was the stability of a longer deal in what could be his last contract. At 35, Whitworth is the oldest left tackle in the league.

The Rams were willing to guarantee $2.5 million in the second year of his contract, giving him a much better chance of being on the team by then. By guaranteeing a portion of his 2018 salary, the Rams would have to absorb several million if they released him after only one year, including the prorated portion of his signing bonus, which would immediately accelerate into that year’s cap.

That would mean around $5.8 million in dead money for the Rams if Whitworth is cut in 2018, which is a significant investment.

It was clear there was no such job security with the Bengals, who drafted two tackles in the first two rounds of the 2015 draft in preparation for Whitworth’s departure. The Bengals have preferred to go year to year on Whitworth’s contract due to his age. His last contract extension was a one-year deal signed in 2015 worth $9 million.

The Bengals will now move on with Cedric Ogbuehi at left tackle. The Bengals will lose a team captain who was second only to Andy Dalton in the amount of offensive snaps taken since 2012.

The Rams were interested in obtaining Whitworth for not only his play on the field, but for his off-the-field impact as well, seeing him as a mentor to their young offensive linemen.

“They really made him feel wanted,” Dye said.

Dye said it was a difficult decision for Whitworth, who has been in Cincinnati since the Bengals selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft and has raised his family there. If the contract terms had been close to what other teams offered, Whitworth would have accepted Cincinnati’s deal. However, the Rams’ offer was significantly more competitive.

“Andrew loves it there, loves the Bengals organization, he loves [coach Marvin Lewis], the fans, the city,” Dye said. “If this thing had been equal or even close to equal, he would have loved to stay there.”

Free Agency Exclusive with Andrew Whitworth

Get to know the Rams new offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth in this free agency one-on-one exclusive with reporter Dani Klupenger.

http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Free-Agency-Exclusive-with-Andrew-Whitworth/c4cac7e1-2592-4a95-b5fb-80eec7506700

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GURLEY & WHITWORTH AT THE PRO BOWL

Free Agency All 22 with LT Andrew Whitworth

Rams Insider Myles Simmons breaks down the game film on new offensive lineman Andrew Whitworth.

http://www.therams.com/videos/videos/Free_Agency_All_22_with_LT_Andrew_Whitworth/773c4555-7a52-4183-b3e5-3713469568bf