Gordo's Tipsheet: Rams await help from NFL salary cap

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RamBill

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Tipsheet: Rams await help from NFL salary cap
• By Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_f1b217e6-9b65-5fb5-83aa-001d27d0b630.html

For all their effort in recent NFL Drafts, the Rams remain the No. 4 team in the NFC West and a long shot to make the playoffs under the current format.

But there is hope on two fronts. The Rams have lots of explosive young talent, especially on the defensive side. Better days are coming.

Also, the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers will have an increasingly difficult time keeping their teams together.

The second contracts for quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick will change everything. Severe salary cap challenges will arise.

Kaepernick, who was scheduled to make just $1 million, signed an extension that could pay him as much as $126 million between now and 2020. The ramifications for the 49ers were immediate.

Tight end Vernon Davis and guard Alex Boone stayed home from the 49ers' OTAs because of contract discontent.

Boone, set to earn $2 million this season, has a better argument than Davis, who would make $7.4 million if he shows up. Only two NFL tight ends (Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten) earn more than Davis these days.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee assesses the situation:

The 49ers are prepared to say goodbye to either their top wide receiver, Michael Crabtree, or their top guard, Mike Iupati – or perhaps both – when they become free agents at the end of the season. The team would love to do long-term deals with them. It just doesn’t have salary cap room.

The 49ers are a little more than $5 million under the cap. Teams like to go into the regular season with a $5 million cushion in case there are injuries and they have to sign players.

Meanwhile the Seahawks are dealing with a Marshawn Lynch situation. The workhorse running back is scheduled to earn $5 million this season and $5.5 million next season.

Apparently he wants more, as ESPN.com's Jeffri Chadiha reports:

The Seattle Seahawks just ran into the first major reality check that comes with being defending Super Bowl champs -- not everybody on the roster is going to feel appreciated. This is a key reason why Pro Bowl running back Marshawn Lynch hadn't participated in any offseason workouts before attending this week's mandatory minicamp. According to the smattering of information that has emerged in this story so far, Lynch is looking for the Seahawks to give him a raise, a nice bump to symbolize their gratitude. If the Seahawks are wise, they would avoid the demands of a player who has become the foundation of their offense.

Anybody who has watched the Seahawks' rise over the past four years understands that Lynch, aka Beast Mode, has been the most critical element of their success. His rugged running style has made life easier for quarterback Russell Wilson, as well as a defense that has turned into the league's best. Anybody who knows the NFL also realizes that, at 28 years old, Lynch is precariously close to losing his effectiveness, especially after averaging 300 carries and 1,350 yards over the past three seasons. This is the hard truth Seattle coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider must consider as they try to keep one of the league's youngest teams in championship contention.

The last thing the Seahawks want to do is upset Lynch. He's a popular, strong-willed player who could easily become difficult if he felt like he was being disrespected. That said, Carroll and Schneider can't afford to cave to every player who feels like his contract isn't all that great anymore. They certainly shouldn't indulge a talent who is nearing the end of his days in Seattle, one who likely reported to minicamp to avoid a $70,000 fine for blowing it off.

Wilson's original rookie contract called for him to $662,430 this season. He, too, is a $20 million-per-year player.

Once he gets there, the NFL's salary cap will work its magic on the Seahawks, too. And maybe, just maybe, the Rams will start closing the talent gap for real.