Rams offseason guide

Rams 2025 Offseason Primer: Previewing free agency and draft picks, revisiting key dates

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-2025-offseason-primer-previewing-free-agency-and-draft-picks-revisiting-key-dates

The NFL’s 2025 league year officially begins at 1 p.m. pacific time March 12.

Here’s where the Rams stand in terms of free agency, draft picks and other important offseason items just over three weeks out from that.

Free Agency

Players belong to three main groups: Unrestricted free agents (UFA), restricted free agents (RFA) and exclusive rights free agents (ERFA).

UFA: Any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract; free to negotiate and sign with any team.

RFA: Any player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. They are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them one of various qualifying offers (“tenders”) that come with the right of first refusal and/or draft-pick compensation.

ERFA: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum (based on his credited seasons), the player cannot negotiate with other teams.

The Rams have 16 pending unrestricted free agents, two pending restricted free agents and one pending exclusive rights free agent. We previewed select players’ impending free agency with corresponding spotlights (this will be updated as those are published).

UFAs:

OL Joe Noteboom
OL Alaric Jackson – Free Agent Spotlight: https://www.therams.com/news/free-agent-spotlight-alaric-jackson-proved-dependable-once-again-at-left-tackle
WR Demarcus Robinson
QB Jimmy Garoppolo – Free Agent Spotlight: https://www.therams.com/news/rams-free-agent-spotlight-jimmy-garoppolo-brought-value-in-backup-qb-role
OLB Michael Hoecht – Free Agent Spotlight: https://www.therams.com/news/free-agent-spotlight-michael-hoecht-s-experience-veteran-voice-and-production-proved-valuable-to-rams-outside-linebacker-room
WR Tutu Atwell
ILB Christian Rozeboom
S John Johnson III – Free Agent Spotlight: https://www.therams.com/news/free-agent-spotlight-despite-injury-shortened-season-john-johnson-iii-still-brought-value-to-rams-secondary
TE Hunter Long
OL Conor McDermott
CB Ahkello Witherspoon – Free Agent Spotlight: https://www.therams.com/news/free-agent-spotlight-ahkello-witherspoon-made-the-most-of-his-second-stint-with-rams
DE Larrell Murchison
WR Tyler Johnson
ILB Troy Reeder
NT Neville Gallimore
NT Bobby Brown III

RFAs:

RB Ronnie Rivers
ILB Jake Hummel

ERFAs:

OL Dylan McMahon

2025 Draft Picks

The 2025 NFL Draft will be held April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Rams are currently scheduled to make their first selection in this year’s draft at the No. 26 overall pick in the first round.

Other than the first round, the league has yet to officially announce the full order or pick allotment for each team for this year’s draft. With that in mind, the Rams currently are projected to have seven total picks:

One in the first round (26th overall, their original – which was already announced).

Two in the third round (their original, plus the second of two from Raheem Morris being hired by the Falcons as their head coach last year, via a 2020 amendment to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, as part of which if one minority employee gets hired as a head coach or primary football executive (general manager) by a new club, the employee’s prior club receives a special compensatory third-round pick in each of the next two drafts).

One in the fourth round (their original).

Three in the sixth round (their original, plus one from the Van Jefferson trade with the Falcons and another from the Kevin Dotson trade with the Steelers).

That total doesn’t factor in compensatory picks that could be awarded. Each year, the NFL awards 32 of them via a formula that weighs the number of players a team lost via free agency versus the number of free agents it signed. It also takes a player’s salary, playing time and postseason honors into consideration. Picks are awarded between rounds three through seven, and while those 32 compensatory picks are not divided up equally among teams, no team can receive more than four.

However, for what it’s worth, OverTheCap.com doesn’t project the Rams to be awarded any normal compensatory picks, which would make sense factoring in the amount of signings in free agency last year, when L.A. had as many free agency arrivals (seven) as departures.

Key Dates between now and the start of the new league year

Tuesday, Feb. 18 through 1 p.m. PT Tuesday, March 4: Window for clubs to designate franchise or transition tag players. Teams may only use one tag per year (either franchise or transition). Note: The Rams haven’t utilized either tag since 2018.

Monday, Feb. 24 through Monday, March 3: 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Monday, March 10, 9 a.m. PT through Wednesday March 12, 12:59:59 p.m. PT: Teams may contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become UFAs. Prospective UFAs who are not represented by NFLPA certified contract advisors (“Unrepresented Players”) may also communicate with teams during this two-day negotiating window.

Wednesday, March 12, 1 p.m. PT: The 2024 League year and free agency signing period begins. All unrestricted free agents may sign contracts with other clubs, and trades can be executed.