2021 Cap set at $180M Minimum

[Riverumbbq]

Not sure if it’s classified as ‘dead-$’ but it appears to be on the Rams’ books against their 2021 cap.

Probably can't be classified as 2021 'dead' money until the new season officially begins on March 17, Floyd is still on our roster until free agency starts.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

Let's see, ... I believe Fowler carried a $9mil. CAP hit for us in 2019, and Floyd carried a $10mil. CAP hit for us in 2020, so please throw out some names on who you have as next seasons free agent 'reclamation' project ? I'll give you a name that will be less expensive for the Rams than what we paid in either 2019 or 2020, ... Leonard Floyd, because his first year of a longer term contract could easily be closer to $7mil.
And Floyd looking less than at prime in Green Bay likely due to some double teaming as Donald missed half the game from injury.
jmo.

I believe Floyd has played into a contract we can't afford thanks to his best season with us. The NFL is full of teams that will pay him for having the year he had because they will think the light switch had flipped on when in reality Donald being there helped inflate his stats. Prior to him coming to the Rams, he was only considered a good run defender. I'm only saying that the Rams will go the reclamation route as that has been their MO lately and due to Floyd out pricing himself. There are other edge rushers that are FAs that we could look at that could and should cost less. It all depends who signs first and when the money starts to dry up. For example, there is Bud Dupree, Carl Lawson, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Kerrigan, Yannick Ngakoue, Aldon Smith, Markus Golden, to name a few. The Rams FO has been good at identifying those rushes in FA lately.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Well not saying Floyd isn't any good but Donald helps players look even better. Floyd hadn't done much prior to joining us other than proving he was a good run defender. I highly doubt Floyd will resign with us when some team out there will pay more for him for having a career year. As to who the reclamation project will be, you got me there other than I'm saying that because that's been the Rams MO lately.

I believe Floyd has played into a contract we can't afford thanks to his best season with us. The NFL is full of teams that will pay him for having the year he had because they will think the light switch had flipped on when in reality Donald being there helped inflate his stats. Prior to him coming to the Rams, he was only considered a good run defender. I'm only saying that the Rams will go the reclamation route as that has been their MO lately and due to Floyd out pricing himself. There are other edge rushers that are FAs that we could look at that could and should cost less. It all depends who signs first and when the money starts to dry up. For example, there is Bud Dupree, Carl Lawson, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Kerrigan, Yannick Ngakoue, Aldon Smith, Markus Golden, to name a few. The Rams FO has been good at identifying those rushes in FA lately.

And i'm not suggesting the Rams can't find another Edge 'project', but expecting lightning to strike 3 times in a row is pushing it. The other factor is cost, and my point is we can re-sign Floyd long-term and have his 2021 CAP be less to us than either Fowler was in 2019 or Floyd was last year. jmo.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

And i'm not suggesting the Rams can't find another Edge 'project', but expecting lightning to strike 3 times in a row is pushing it. The other factor is cost, and my point is we can re-sign Floyd long-term and have his 2021 CAP be less to us than either Fowler was in 2019 or Floyd was last year. jmo.

I'm not expecting it either but it seems to be the route they like taking. If we can get Floyd cheaper then it's definitely good for us, but I'm sure he's going to be offered more than we can offer him. In the end, the players have to strike while their stock is high and I don't see Floyd's market getting any hotter which doesn't help our case if re-signing him.

 

[Riverumbbq]

I'm not expecting it either but it seems to be the route they like taking. If we can get Floyd cheaper then it's definitely good for us, but I'm sure he's going to be offered more than we can offer him. In the end, the players have to strike while their stock is high and I don't see Floyd's market getting any hotter which doesn't help our case if re-signing him.

Well, I predict Floyd will sign for somewhere near 4 years/$50.mil with a guarantee between $30 to $35 mil. As teams usually take a first year CAP discount, I suspect his 2021 CAP hit to be closer to $7.mil. With new TV contracts and a likely end to the Covid protocols limiting stadium use, pushing the bulk of his future CAP hits into years where there is far more money available to cover costs. In essence, it's similar to what we will be doing with restructuring Donald & Ramsey in order to get back to even with this next seasons overall CAP. jmo.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

Well, I predict Floyd will sign for somewhere near 4 years/$50.mil with a guarantee between $30 to $35 mil. As teams usually take a first year CAP discount, I suspect his 2021 CAP hit to be closer to $7.mil. With new TV contracts and a likely end to the Covid protocols limiting stadium use, pushing the bulk of his future CAP hits into years where there is far more money available to cover costs. jmo.

We're going to find out how much he's valued around the league. All it takes is a team with CAP room to inflate his asking price. I think his CAP hit will be more but I could be wrong too as it depends who targets him. Either way, I just hope the Rams make the right decisions on who to re-sign

 

[Riverumbbq]

We're going to find out how much he's valued around the league. All it takes is a team with CAP room to inflate his asking price. I think his CAP hit will be more but I could be wrong too as it depends who targets him. Either way, I just hope the Rams make the right decisions on who to re-sign

A lot of the teams who are struggling with high priced veterans and CAP may seek to remedy their situation with one year contracts, younger vets who are just coming off their first contract may find this appealing, although older vets like Floyd who is 29 are more likely to seek the security of longer term contracts. If a team is concerned about whether someone like Floyd will play as well without depending on Aaron Donald as a crutch, and not overpaying as with Fowler the previous year, a one year contract could be favorable, but it's also likely that Floyd may pass on that kind of offer. It's certainly going to be interesting to watch how teams and players approach the upcoming contract season in an age of less available CAP. jmo.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

A lot of the teams who are struggling with high priced veterans and CAP may seek to remedy their situation with one year contracts, younger vets who are just coming off their first contract may find this appealing, although older vets like Floyd who is 29 are more likely to seek the security of longer term contracts. If a team is concerned about whether someone like Floyd will play as well without depending on Aaron Donald as a crutch, and not overpaying as with Fowler the previous year, a one year contract could be favorable, but it's also likely that Floyd may pass on that kind of offer. It's certainly going to be interesting to watch how teams and players approach the upcoming contract season in an age of less available CAP. jmo.

Yeah it's definitely going to be a different year. Plus not knowing what corresponding moves the Rams and others will do to free up room will make things very "bananas" as McVay stated earlier. Makes me wonder if that allows us to sneak some talent at a lower cost on the team since we are more post season ready than some other teams.

 

[Mackeyser]

I believe Floyd has played into a contract we can't afford thanks to his best season with us. The NFL is full of teams that will pay him for having the year he had because they will think the light switch had flipped on when in reality Donald being there helped inflate his stats. Prior to him coming to the Rams, he was only considered a good run defender. I'm only saying that the Rams will go the reclamation route as that has been their MO lately and due to Floyd out pricing himself. There are other edge rushers that are FAs that we could look at that could and should cost less. It all depends who signs first and when the money starts to dry up. For example, there is Bud Dupree, Carl Lawson, Melvin Ingram, Ryan Kerrigan, Yannick Ngakoue, Aldon Smith, Markus Golden, to name a few. The Rams FO has been good at identifying those rushes in FA lately.

Ngakoue is likely out of our range, but Aldon Smith next to AD would be insane. Looks like he's got his head on right and played well for a crappy Dallas D.

I remember Ingram and he's got the right motor for how our DL plays. I've never given Kerrigan enough credit, admittedly, but he seems to be someone who'd garner more interest than we could give him. That said, his Washington roots can't be discounted.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Good conversation here on Floyd. Damn! Hate to lose him.

Those 10.5 sacks... but he was all over the place in 2020 making an impact. A perfect fit for his role on this team.

 

[El Chapo Jr]

Good conversation here on Floyd. Damn! Hate to lose him.

Those 10.5 sacks... but he was all over the place in 2020 making an impact. A perfect fit for his role on this team.

Yeah I hear ya....wish we had enough to sign him and another good edge FA. The defense would be beastly if that could happen.

 

[FrantikRam]

Yeah I hear ya....wish we had enough to sign him and another good edge FA. The defense would be beastly if that could happen.

That'd be great.

I was for re-signing Fowler last year thinking he couldn't be easily replaced - I was dead wrong.

Floyd without AD was ineffective for the most part - we need another pass rusher that can win consistently so I'd rather take whatever money we would pay Floyd and upgrade (Watt)

 

[OldSchool]

That'd be great.

I was for re-signing Fowler last year thinking he couldn't be easily replaced - I was dead wrong.

Floyd without AD was ineffective for the most part - we need another pass rusher that can win consistently so I'd rather take whatever money we would pay Floyd and upgrade (Watt)

So then what do we do with Brockers, Robinson and do we resign Fox? Signing Watt we still need an OLB/Edge to replace Floyd as well so there's more money or draft picks needed.

 

[1maGoh]

And i'm not suggesting the Rams can't find another Edge 'project', but expecting lightning to strike 3 times in a row is pushing it. The other factor is cost, and my point is we can re-sign Floyd long-term and have his 2021 CAP be less to us than either Fowler was in 2019 or Floyd was last year. jmo.

Luckily for us, Aaron Donald is like a Tesla coil. The lightning may not hit the exact same spot, but we can be sure there's going to be lightning.

 

[Riverumbbq]

That'd be great.

I was for re-signing Fowler last year thinking he couldn't be easily replaced - I was dead wrong.

Floyd without AD was ineffective for the most part - we need another pass rusher that can win consistently so I'd rather take whatever money we would pay Floyd and upgrade (Watt)

I'm not buying this. Donald was in for 85% of all defensive snaps while Floyd was in for 90%, and when Donald was out it has to be expected that Floyd would be picking up a good portion of those double teams that Donald usually absorbs. Donald isn't getting any younger, his injury prior to the Green Bay play-off game hurt us terribly, we absolutely need a stud OLB if we expect our defense to continue to be as solid as 2020.

 

[FrantikRam]

So then what do we do with Brockers, Robinson and do we resign Fox? Signing Watt we still need an OLB/Edge to replace Floyd as well so there's more money or draft picks needed.

If we have Watt and AD on the same line, were fine. Can move them around.

AD broke the NFL record for sacks by an interior DL, but Watt has had more sacks in a season than that - Watt is a true DE. So in sub packages, which would be all pass rushing situations, Watt is essentially an edge rusher.

For base packages, Hollins starts at one EDGE spot. His versatility is perfect for the position and little responsibilities it would have. Other EDGE in base packages would be Lewis/Obo/draft pick competition. With both Watt and AD, these EDGE guys would just need to play the run well and be versatile enough to drop, which Hollins is.

Ideally we ship out both Brockers and A'Shawn - with SJD and Gaines being good run defenders and the addition of Watt, they're not needed. That's a tough draw for Brockers but I'd rather keep Fox as he has better pass rushing ability.

The final touch would be an upgrade at ILB. I'd spend a day 2 pick there and then start that rookie.

In the draft the priorities would be:

ILB
C
T
EDGE
***Above would ideally all be in the first four rounds as they would end up competing for playing time this season potentially

***Below is more for depth/future consideration
S/CB (whichever Burgess won't play)
WR/return specialist


I'd also add a cheap vet WR in case the draft plan doesn't work out. Maybe even one who can return punts.

So our only free agent additions would be Watt and a WR. This would also maximize our comp picks next year which I think would give us 10 picks - perfect with so many players not under contract beyond next season.

Shores up every weakness IF we can get a starting C and ILB in the draft. If we can't, we do have five serviceable linemen and ILBs with starting experience so wouldn't hurt too badly.

 

[OldSchool]

If we have Watt and AD on the same line, were fine. Can move them around.

A pleasant fantasy I'm sure but today's Watt isn't the same guy you seem to think he is. Adequate as an end in a 3-4 for sure but he sure doesn't look like a game changer much. Especially when he's only played a full season 2 of the last 5 years. I've admired JJ as much as any non Texans fan but he's not the same guy.

 

[FrantikRam]

A pleasant fantasy I'm sure but today's Watt isn't the same guy you seem to think he is. Adequate as an end in a 3-4 for sure but he sure doesn't look like a game changer much. Especially when he's only played a full season 2 of the last 5 years. I've admired JJ as much as any non Texans fan but he's not the same guy.

In his prime, he has an argument that he was as good or better than AD. Is he that guy? No.

But him at $16 million (which, for me thinking he will sign with the Rams, would be closer to $12-$14 million) is more valuable than Floyd or Clowney or whoever else we could get at $10 million.

He's still one of the better defensive players in the NFL. Don't let the low sack totals fool you. The main reason I want him is because he represents the best value at arguably the biggest need we have - second pass rusher after AD.

 

[Mackeyser]

If we have Watt and AD on the same line, were fine. Can move them around.

AD broke the NFL record for sacks by an interior DL, but Watt has had more sacks in a season than that - Watt is a true DE. So in sub packages, which would be all pass rushing situations, Watt is essentially an edge rusher.

Didn't they both top out at 20.5? Watt did that twice and AD once, but pretty sure they both had the same number in a year.

 

[OldSchool]

In his prime, he has an argument that he was as good or better than AD. Is he that guy? No.

But him at $16 million (which, for me thinking he will sign with the Rams, would be closer to $12-$14 million) is more valuable than Floyd or Clowney or whoever else we could get at $10 million.

He's still one of the better defensive players in the NFL. Don't let the low sack totals fool you. The main reason I want him is because he represents the best value at arguably the biggest need we have - second pass rusher after AD.

Even $12-14 is a colossal waste of money. And a DE in our 3-4 is far from our biggest need he will provide some pass rush but not any more than we could get from resigning Floyd for less or another edge to line up behind AD. Plus the signing of Watt requires us to trade a very good player or two. A guy like Melvin Ingram who will cost the same or less than what you're thinking Watt goes for and is a position of need, with his recent injuries might even be less plus he can stay in LA and chase a ring. You're also thinking JJ Watt a ranch boy from Wisconsin is going to chase the LA lifestyle when his family and his wife's work is in the midwest.