Billy_T wrote:

The entire league knows the Rams are an easy mark. They give up waay too much for players they want, and they ask for waay too little in comp for players they trade away.

It sure seems that way to me. Ramsey is still in his prime. Not only do I disapprove of this trade, I can’t even see a plausible rationale for it.

Hopefully, Rodrigue will explain this some day.

Trade is now agreed to, per sources:

🏈Dolphins get Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey.

🏈Rams get 2023 third-round pick (No. 77) and TE Hunter Long.

Trade will be processed Wednesday, when league year begins. pic.twitter.com/0KJIeoS6fj

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2023

Rams released 2020-22 sack leader Leonard Floyd; quick look at the move
via @TheAthletic https://t.co/HaBx0i30SM

— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 10, 2023

zn wrote:

A theory. Several Rams underperformed in 2022 and that’s before they got massively injured as a team. I think they had a few guys who took their rings from 2021 and slacked off. That includes Ramsey and Floyd. I think that’s who they want to replace–I think McV resented that happening. It clears cap space, and puts them in a position to develop talent to step up plus sign people.

I would think that it would be easier to try to coach Ramsey and Floyd back into the proper mindset than to replace them.

And, really, how hard must it be to put in the proverbial 110% when the team has completely fallen off a cliff?

The Universe has an edge: not in space, but in #time.
"The edge of the Universe,as it appears to us,is unique to our perspective; we can see back 13.8 bn years in time in all directions, a situation that depends on the spacetime location of the observer."https://t.co/RigAvXa9nM

— Venus Throw (@OneVenusThrow) February 28, 2023

Makes no sense to me.

The #Rams have had trade talks about six-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey and league sources now believe it’s very likely Ramsey is dealt in coming weeks.

Ramsey, 28, is due $17 million in 2023 on a front-loaded deal that averages $20M and L.A. is clearing cap space. pic.twitter.com/vTYlX7nn5B

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 25, 2023

Billy_T wrote:

What do you think about this part, Zooey?

Yeah, I dunno. I agree that they shouldn’t take a hit just to “be nice” to him. He was here one year. It’s not like he was drafted by the Rams and spend 11 years here.

Why not trade him for a 6th round pick, or something? They got that for Woods, and Woods isn’t going into the HOF.

From Jourdan at the Athletic:

The Los Angeles Rams and linebacker Bobby Wagner have mutually agreed to part ways, sources directly familiar with the situation told The Athletic. ESPN was first to report the news. Here’s what you need to know:

• Wagner, 32, played his first 10 seasons with the Seahawks before joining the Rams last season.
• He started 17 games for Los Angeles in 2022, totaling 140 tackles (81 solo) with six sacks and two interceptions.
• Wagner, a 6-time first-team All-Pro, helped Seattle win the 2014 Super Bowl.
• Sources directly familiar with the conversation said they were “positive” in nature.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Why both sides agreed to part ways

Wagner met with the Rams on Thursday for a conversation that one source characterized as really positive, and truly mutual. If it weren’t, the Rams could have saved more money against the cap by cutting or trading Wagner after June 1.

But that wouldn’t have allowed Wagner to pick his next team or would have meant joining a new team way too late in the offseason to fully onboard with them at his position.

Wagner is closing in on the final years of his career, and with all the uncertainty surrounding the rest of the Rams’ roster, it’s understandable if he wanted to find a situation that felt more “sure.” That’s why this is mutual.

Wagner can discuss his options with other teams starting now, a source said, but will officially be released when the new league year begins – reiterating the mutuality of the move. — Rodrigue

You can only shake your head.

I bet CNN wanted to cut this guy's mic. lol https://t.co/ycUxiTghI6

— Moped Jones (@JasonWSchaver) February 21, 2023

JackPMiller wrote:

This post is what can we do, to create cap space. Remember, we are $14 Million over the cap. You would like to get some more space as well, to sign rookies

Rams have one month to get under the cap. Two moves can get them there.

It doesn’t take an expert to understand the Los Angeles Rams aren’t in the best shape salary cap-wise. They’re currently $14.1 million over the salary cap, which has been set at $224.8 million for the 2023 season.

It’s not an issue that they’re over the limit right now because the new league year doesn’t start for another month. On March 15, however, they have to be under the cap, per league rules. They’re also not the only team with more than $224.8 million allocated to players at the moment. There are 13 other teams that are over the cap, too.

With one month until the deadline, the Rams need to make some moves to clear up some space. Whether that’s releasing players or restructuring their contracts, there are multiple avenues to freeing up money.

Two simple moves can get them under the cap before March 15, and it doesn’t require them to release anyone. First, they can restructure Cooper Kupp’s contract, thus creating $14.19 million in cap space. That almost gets them under the cap right there. The second move they can make is restructuring Bobby Wagner’s contract, which would save them another $7.75 million in 2023.

After those moves, the Rams would have $7.82 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.

It would make sense for them to tweak those two contracts because it’s highly unlikely that the Rams want to move on from either player anytime soon.

If they restructure Aaron Donald’s deal, it’ll cause some pain in 2024 in the event that he retires. A restructure of Matthew Stafford’s contract would only save $251,250 in 2023, so his deal isn’t worth touching. Leonard Floyd could conceivably be a cap casualty, and there are rumors swirling about the possibility of dealing Jalen Ramsey.

Kupp should be on the team for at least the next two years, and the same goes for Wagner. It’s better to restructure the contract of a player who is expected to be on the roster in the coming years than one who could be cut in the near future.