InvaderRam wrote:

i don’t get it. why is the salary cap so low now?

Well it’s a good question. But the ostensible answer is, they had to make up for lost revenue from 2020, and the new network contracts don’t kick in until after this year?

If that’s not the answer I don’t know what the answer is.

NFL media deals worth $10 billion a year, per @AP.
That is over $300M per team, just from media.

The player Salary Cap is now $182M, may not reach $300M for many years. What a business..

— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) March 18, 2021

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The NFL will pull in $10 billion per year – a stunning number – from the media deals it that it makes official today. Here's SBJ's story: https://t.co/iBGyPHXa91

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) March 18, 2021

canadaram wrote:

I would appreciate it if somebody praised me for my prophetic ability.

I knew you were going to say that.

😎

Everett going there is at least partly cause Seattle’s new OC is the former Rams coach, the young Mr. Shane Waldron.

With Leonard Floyd locked in, how can Rams answer other questions on defense?

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/2455595/2021/03/16/with-leonard-floyd-locked-in-how-can-rams-answer-other-questions-on-defense/

The Rams’ biggest move this week (and second-biggest of free agency, behind trading for quarterback Matthew Stafford) was an extension for outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, at four years and $64 million, a source with knowledge of the terms confirmed Monday.

As far as free agency goes, it might not get much splashier than that for the Rams, who, once solidifying Floyd’s yearly average, spent most of Tuesday restructuring a few of their core contracts to swan-dive underneath the shrunken salary cap. One league source believes that the Rams are sitting tight for now, and while they may be open to adding here and there, it’s more likely to be for players in minimum-salary range.

But that doesn’t mean they’re done sprucing up their roster altogether. And on defense, they’ll need more than a spruce, and more than the addition of Floyd, to really create the kind of balance that brought them so much success in 2020 as the NFL’s top unit.

The ideal balance for the Rams’ defense is predicated by their rush-coverage tandems. They made this philosophical commitment the moment they, after already spending big on star defensive tackle Aaron Donald, doubled down on a massive contract extension for star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. So it’s best to envision the sequencing of the entire defense, and where the Rams will invest their top financial and draft resources, via those tandems (even as they rotate and interchange based on scheme and system).

One tandem, connected by status, the attention they draw from others, contract and near-autonomy at their respective positions, is of course Donald and Ramsey. Donald’s pressure opens up what Ramsey can do; Ramsey’s coverage gives Donald a little extra time to get pressure. Both rotate within their respective position groups — Donald along the defensive line, and Ramsey from the outside to the slot, or all over the field depending on whether he’s shadowing a receiver.

Another tandem, connected by their complement to Donald and Ramsey and how the former two players impact their own matchups, plus their transaction alignment, is Floyd and cornerback Darious Williams, upon whom the Rams placed a first-round tender Monday — just a few hours before agreeing to the extension with Floyd.

Arguments about his salary number aside, Floyd has proven durability and doesn’t really need to come off the field, and it’s clear the Rams view him as a three-down rusher and run defender on one side of Donald. He played 90 percent of defensive snaps in 2020, the highest among Rams defensive linemen. Meanwhile, Williams will man the lead spot opposite Ramsey and usually stay there depending on whether new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris switches up some of the Rams’ secondary rotation from last season.

But what about on the other side of Floyd?

Depth players Samson Ebukam and Derek Rivers have departed in free agency, although that was expected. Third-year outside linebackers Obo Okoronkwo and Justin Hollins are still available, but neither played a proven (or, in Okoronkwo’s case, fully healthy) role in 2020. Second-year outside linebacker Terrell Lewis missed eight games last season due to what I understand to be lingering concerns over a recurring knee issue. Lewis showed he can be productive even if he’s held on a “pitch count” out of regard for his health, but it’s not a full answer for the Rams.

Floyd’s salary number crept higher than anticipated in part because multiple teams were also interested in signing him, and the Rams felt he was a priority to extend. His leverage increased not only because of other interested parties but also because he and his agent knew that depth on the perimeter is a concern and the starter-ready talent in this year’s draft basically bottoms out by the time the Rams’ first pick arrives in the second round. But what if the Rams could find a player who can rotate with Lewis in specialized situations, thus offering him more time to develop and Lewis a more efficient snap count for his own long-term durability?

And what about the “coverage” part? There, more questions remain as free agency prepares for its second wave.

For example, if the Rams can’t work out an extension with versatile veteran cornerback Troy Hill, who may have played well enough in 2020 to price himself out of the Rams’ plans, they’ll need help at corner. Even though Ramsey and Williams have the lead cornerback spots locked up, the Rams were in nickel on nearly 60 percent of their defensive snaps and in dime on nearly 25 percent. They have David Long Jr. on the roster as a corner who can play nickel, and second-year safety Terrell Burgess can project into their larger nickel spot, but otherwise it’s pretty bare — and unproven. Hill also could move into the slot or play on the outside, a trait that was incredibly valuable when the Rams schemed Ramsey up to travel or to play in their Star position — strategy that should not change, if they want to maximize Ramsey’s ability.

Unless they can bring in a versatile, savvy corner at well under $5 million to $6 million per year, the Rams will need to invest in this position in the draft.

There is a similar — though less depth-concerning — situation on the interior defensive line, where the Rams are preparing to possibly lose up-and-coming versatile defensive lineman Morgan Fox, who had a career-high six sacks last year. Like Hill, Fox may have priced himself out of the Rams’ rotation.

But unlike the cornerbacks room, the defensive line is crowded with interior players in Sebastian Joseph-Day and A’Shawn Robinson. The Rams feel good about their depth there, despite reaching a trade agreement with the Lions on Tuesday that will send veteran defensive tackle Michael Brockers to Detroit for a small (yet still undisclosed) return.

Meanwhile, the Rams have depth at safety even after the departure of starter John Johnson, who will officially sign with the Cleveland Browns this week. The Rams are high on their young, middle-round drafted players such as Taylor Rapp and Burgess, and one source with knowledge of the team’s plans said they believe Jordan Fuller could call the defensive signals and assume a role much like Johnson had in 2020.

Inside linebacker may then become the “odd position out” once again for the Rams, should they continue to pursue this investment/balance model. Recently, general manager Les Snead all but gushed over their previous decision to play relatively unproven starters once Travin Howard suffered a season-ended injury, and then to keep riding with those players even as Micah Kiser, their eventual starter, also got hurt. There could even be a sense that, if the Rams were able to hold a No. 1 defense without elite middle linebacker play, then there is little motivation to devote financial or top draft capital to that position.

All of those linebackers — (adding) Howard, Kiser, Troy Reeder, Kenny Young and practice squad-er Christian Rozeboom — will return in 2021.

That position could even get left out when, as we continue through the spring, the Rams talk internally about where the real balance of their defense lies … and ultimately, where their limited resources will go.

I couldn’t love him more. An amazing human being. To know him is to love him. The Whitworth’s always will https://t.co/FiesnQwywI

— Melissa Whitworth (@mrs_whit77) March 18, 2021

Elderly Asian woman was attacked on Market Street in San Francisco this morning…she defended herself and sent her attacker to the hospital https://t.co/EAOam4DmNt#StopAsianHate
Via IG:kpixtv pic.twitter.com/EpjpL5aFMR

— Wu-Tang Is For The Children (@WUTangKids) March 18, 2021

From Free Agency Frenzy: The #AZCardinals are all in. pic.twitter.com/cHfqxGNhrX

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2021

Ramily!!!! @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/KGNwWSV6Hd

— Maurice Jones-Drew (@MJD) March 17, 2021

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
They had to either move or restructure MB to get under so they wouldn’t have to borrow too much from others. He was the final piece.

Leonard Floyd's deal:
Signing bonus: $16M
2021 salary: $2M
2022 salary: $16.5M
2023 salary: $15.5M
2024 salary: $16M

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 17, 2021

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Based on my math, his cap hits will be $5.5M, $20M, $19M and $19.5M.

Looks like the Rams can get out of it after two years

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) March 17, 2021

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2021/03/17/rams-michael-brockers-trade-salary-cap-lions/

Cutting Brockers was always seen as a possibility this offseason, with the Rams sitting way over the salary cap for the last two months. But by going the trade route, they actually save more money than they would have by cutting him.

According to Over The Cap, the Rams will save $6.17 million in cap space this year. If they had cut him before June 1, the savings would’ve been $4.67 million – a $1.5 million difference. Brockers’ cap hit was set to be $9.83 million in 2021, so the Rams will have to take on $3.67 million in dead money, but the net savings is still $6.17 million.