I’ve got a sneaky suspicion about why Rams FA info is taking so long...

[Rams43]

Honestly, if all that’s occurring behind closed doors is mere restructuring then it should have been done and announced already. Those just don’t take that long and yet Snead says that talks have been going on for 2-3 weeks.

But what if tricky trade talks that require secrecy are going on? And with multiple teams? Maybe even a 3-way?

Could be any combination of player-for-picks or even player-for-player. Or both?

Such complicated talks would explain both the delays AND the need for secrecy.

This IS Snead we’re talking about so anything’s possible.

Hmmmmm...

 

[Allen2McVay]

Interesting take. Not sure I agree but recent Rams’ off-seasons are much more interesting than in years past.

 

[ottoman89]

Or maybe they just don't have a plan, yet (I did).

I'm sure it's just them being tight lipped and wanting to announce it all at once. Sure wish we'd hear a leak though.

 

[Riverumbbq]

The typical restructure really doesn't require player/agent approval, it's already built into most contracts as an accounting tool. The difference this time around is because of the shrinking CAP, it has been reported that some players have actually been approached to take pay cuts, and this would definitely involve players and their agents for approval, thus be more time consuming. jmo.

 

[André]

Likely several things in motion at the same time.

They are likely trying to renegotiate a couple of deals, and looking at a few trade options and don't want to restructure others until they know where they stand overall.

The first couple of dominos will set the rest in motion, but nothing happens until those ones are done first.

 

[Merlin]

I think they shot their wad on the QB 43. Might be another inspired move ahead but chances are it will be trying to retain maybe one of their guys while also sorting the OL.

IMO there will be moves for sure on the OL. Kromer's departure suggests that I think.

 

[NJRamsFan]

To summarize....

maybe the rams have a trade in the works maybe they don’t ....

Is it time for the season yet?

 

[CGI_Ram]

It does seem to be a long time for restructuring... My guess is Stafford is part of that and kicking dollars to bigger cap years.

My guess this is taking longer time because it's combining more than one restructure to get the desired/collective result.

So, lots of back and forth.

But if they are up to something juicy... bring it!

 

[ottoman89]

It does seem to be a long time for restructuring... My guess is Stafford is part of that and kicking dollars to bigger cap years.

My guess this is taking longer time because it's combining more than one restructure to get the desired/collective result.

So, lots of back and forth.

But if they are up to something juicy... bring it!

Perhaps they gave Stafford a 1yr extension also to help with the cap but obviously can't be announced until the new league year

 

[PhillyRam]

Me waiting to see what they do to get under the cap...

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

I'm hopeful it means we are restructuring a lot of guys....

 

[Mister Sin]

I'm also hoping restructuring is happening....I mean, it has to be....right?

 

[PhillyRam]

I'm also hoping restructuring is happening....I mean, it has to be....right?

I am guessing a lot of it hits tomorrow before the weekend. Would seem to be a realistic self imposed deadline.

 

[Merlin]

My guess is Stafford is part of that and kicking dollars to bigger cap years.

Sounds likely. After what we gave up for him it makes sense to extend him out a bit and maybe somewhere in there we'll end up with a couple years of affordable QB on the cap. Opened up Sportrac to take a look but didn't have it in me to try to sort that one lol.

 

[FrantikRam]

I wonder if they're having conversations with guys like Brockers and Whitworth.

Specifically for Brockers, if we cut him he's looking at the vet minimum from another team. He's older and doesn't offer any pass rush. Could tell him "we love you but one way or another, your non guaranteed money is gone" to see if he takes a cut

 

[MadGoat]

We know the Rams can fix their cap situation with restructures, but they carry some risk, even for the best players. They also push cap money down the line without adding any additional team-controlled years, so limiting the number of restructures is probably part of the plan.

Extensions, which are another tool in the accounting arsenal, take time. The Rams would like to extend Stafford and get the benefit of a lower cap number and add some years to his contract, but these crazy QB numbers probably aren't helping their efforts. If they are hoping to pull this off before taking other actions, it would explain the lack of news.

The Rams may have laid out renegotiated deals for vets like Whitworth and Brockers and are waiting for an answer. Their agents would likely be holding out to see how ugly this FA market is going to get, but the Rams must have a date they require an answer by. It's probably pretty soon, to give them time to wrap up the rest of their cost-saving moves.

Lastly, the Rams certainly have some names they'd be willing to cut if they need to. Snead said they wanted to get cap compliant without losing players, but if renegotiations don't happen, this might be the next option, especially at DL. The Rams likely don't just want to get under the cap. they want cap space to take advantage of what will be the most team-friendly FA period in 30 years.

 

[BonifayRam]

Likely several things in motion at the same time.

They are likely trying to renegotiate a couple of deals, and looking at a few trade options and don't want to restructure others until they know where they stand overall.

The first couple of dominos will set the rest in motion, but nothing happens until those ones are done first.

If all that motion is making us sick they also have to deal with the plus $5 million on top of that $31 mil in order to tender in RFA starting CB Williams.

 

[MrOrange]

I think it's taking so long to get the info because this team likes to take forever to share info. For example, how long did we wait to find out about the revamped coaching staff? Or how many years did it take before they finally revealed the new uniforms?

This organization just likes to withhold information as long as possible IMO

 

[dieterbrock]

Taking too long? They still have 5 days to go....
Probably working Trades vs outright cuts & likely will announce the contract restructures all at once

 

[Riverumbbq]

Brockers, if we cut him he's looking at the vet minimum from another team. He's older and doesn't offer any pass rush. Could tell him "we love you but one way or another, your non guaranteed money is gone" to see if he takes a cut

While I do favor a Brockers trade due to our present depth, don't fool yourself into believing his value is as low as vet minimum. There are plenty of 4-3 teams that would value Brock highly as an interior DT. And being only 30 years old isn't necessarily very old by DT standards. jmo.