Hekker was worth every penny for a long, long, long time. He's a Hall of Fame punter. And that is saying something! His punts were unreal, and he was a huge threat to throw as well.
He did start declining recently, but he still had some beauties, and for money money, is still easily an NFL level punter. But the problem is his contract. You need elite punting for that price. Hekker wasn't delivering it any more, for 2 seasons now. The sample size is large enough to consider it more than a down year. The timing seems right to move on. The Rams need cap space.
Hekker will always be a Ram, in my book. Hekker, at his peak, IMO will always be the best punter in Rams' history. Perhaps a lofty claim. But I really do think he was that good.
Very happy we kept him this year, in hindsight, so he could get a Super Bowl ring.