Puka Injury Thread (merged)
- Thread starter methomas50
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His contract is going to blow up our salary cap no matter what. The difference between Puka and JSN is, the Seahawks extended his existing contract. His cap hit this year is ludicrously low, and the total value of his contract because it was an extension, from now until the end, is favorable.
We won't have that luxury with Puka. He's a FA after this year. A FA who, were he to hit the market, some team could and probably would pay him $50 million per year.
I will be shocked if we don't franchise him and THEN work out a deal. He has absolutely no reason to not test free agency. In fact, it would be irresponsible of him not to. A player of his caliber and age, I don't think has hit free agency before. It doesn't happen....go look at when JSN, Chase, Jefferson, Lamb, etc. were extended.
Our ONLY leverage in all this will be the franchise tag, unfortunately. That ship sailed once we didn't extend him after last season. And while the first year cap hit would probably be a bit lower, the average value of his contract will far exceed the franchise tag amount.
OK, but if you sign into a massive deal, you can play with the numbers early on.
As discussed many times on this board, the Rams have a lot of free agents to take care of.
They are likely going to have to be pretty creative anyway, but putting a tag on Puka would just make their job harder.
Also, is that what you wanna do to your best football player on offense?
If you’re saying to simply use it as a tool, I understand what you’re saying about leverage. I just think that kind of thing rarely ends well.
Puka is a superstar. You pay superstars.
If Rams don't give Puka the bag they have no soul.
Puka returning is dependent on how the Rams record is over the next 4-5 games. If they can somehow continue to win and remain viable contenders for a post season berth I think he plays again. If they fall out of the race then he’s going to get shutdown for the season. I think they need to win 4 of the next 5 games to be serious contenders for a Wild Card.
What the Timeline Shows for Puka Nacua
- Rapid Market Inflation. The top of the market jumped by over $7 million per year between 2024 (Justin Jefferson at $35M) and 2026 (Jaxon Smith-Njigba at $42.15M). [1, 2]
- 2027 Benchmark. Because Nacua's extension negotiations happen ahead of the 2027 league year, his agents will use Smith-Njigba's 2026 deal ($42.15M APY) as the starting floor rather than the 2024 contracts. [1]
| Player | Team | Year Signed | Total Contract | Average Per Year (APY) | Guaranteed Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Seahawks | 2026 | 4 yrs, $168.6M | $42.15 million | $120.07 million |
| Ja'Marr Chase | Bengals | 2025 | 4 yrs, $161.0M | $40.25 million | ~$112 million |
| Drake London | Falcons | 2026 | 4 yrs, $141.1M | $35.26 million | ~$100 million |
| Zay Flowers | Ravens | 2026 | 4 yrs, $140.0M | $35.00 million | $108.00 million |
| Justin Jefferson | Vikings | 2024 | 4 yrs, $140.0M | $35.00 million | $110.00 million |
| CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys | 2024 | 4 yrs, $136.0M | $34.00 million | $100.00 million |
| DeVonta Smith | Eagles | 2024 | 3 yrs, $75.0M | $25.00 million | $51.00 million (new) |
It's hard to say just pay the man. It's hard decision for the Rams.
They over use him like they did with Kupp and they had to eat cap space and let him go. Considering his off the field issues and injury history the safer bet is to give to franchise him and go year to year. That would be non-exclusive. He can get offers from other teams , but they have to give the Rams two first round picks. Exclusive tag is much more expensive.
Non-Exclusive vs. Exclusive Franchise Tag
Teams have two options when applying the franchise tag, and they carry different negotiation rules and price tags: [1]
They over use him like they did with Kupp and they had to eat cap space and let him go. Considering his off the field issues and injury history the safer bet is to give to franchise him and go year to year. That would be non-exclusive. He can get offers from other teams , but they have to give the Rams two first round picks. Exclusive tag is much more expensive.
Non-Exclusive vs. Exclusive Franchise Tag
Teams have two options when applying the franchise tag, and they carry different negotiation rules and price tags: [1]
| Feature | Non-Exclusive Franchise Tag | Exclusive Franchise Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Outside Negotiations | Allowed. Nacua can negotiate and sign an offer sheet with any team. | Prohibited. Only the Rams can negotiate with him. |
| Team Protection | Rams can match any outside offer or receive two 1st-round picks. | Total control; no other team can make an offer. |
| Salary Formula | Average of the top 5 WR cap hits over the past 5 years (scaled to the 2027 cap). | Average of the top 5 WR salaries in the current 2027 league year. |
| 2027 Projected Cost | ~$30.91 million | ~$36.5M – $38.0M (estimated) |
- Why the Exclusive Tag Costs More. Because the non-exclusive tag looks backward at five years of cap percentages, older deals from 2022–2024 keep the number lower ($30.91M). The exclusive tag uses only the top five current-year salaries after the restricted free agent signing period ends in April. With Jaxon Smith-Njigba ($42.15M), Ja'Marr Chase ($40.25M), Drake London ($35.26M), Zay Flowers ($35M), and Justin Jefferson ($35M) setting the top five, the 2027 exclusive tag projects to land between $36.5 million and $38 million. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Which Tag Teams Actually Use. Almost every team uses the non-exclusive tag on wide receivers because no NFL team is willing to give up two first-round picks plus a record-setting contract to sign a receiver away. [1]
So.. he plays on the Tag in 27 and plays the full season and puts up stellar numbers.
What then?
The price only goes up.
Also.. he doesn’t show up for anything both offseasons and is a huge distraction.
The Rams have the franchise tag in their back pocket for leverage, but I doubt they use it.
The #1 domino to fall is Stafford. Does he retire or come back? If he comes back for a last run in 2027, we'll need every bit of cap space to squeeze in players for that run. A franchise tag hit of $30 mil kills the cap like @Pupped stated.
If Stafford retires, they'll have an entirely different plan. That decision will affect what players we resign. Maybe in this plan, they can afford to have Puka taking up $30 mil in cap space.
Nah, not next year. JSN counts only $10M against the cap this year. He will count $15M next year. So Puka's will be similar for his first few years. They can ramp up the cap hits once Stafford is off the books. It's one advantage of having Simpson on a cheap deal for 4 more years.
With about $75M in cap space next year, before any restructures or releases, they shouldn't have an issue keeping who they want.
And I would expect a year where it's about keeping their own and not going outside for big additions. That's unless they are players who are released, thus they don't affect the comp formula. That way the guys who they do let walk, should return much needed comp picks for 28'.
He’s done for the year most likely got put on IR with back issues
I did state it would be a hard decision. Look at the guaranteed money. If he has more off the field issues or gets hurt the Rams take the risk of $120 M guaranteed money.
I don't think it will be that hard of a decision. The Rams will pay Puka. It's a matter of when, not if.
McVay thinks Nacua should be ready sooner than later. I think the frisco game might be reasonable. He's made him one of the core faces of the franchise. It's Nacua out front answering questions from reporters this year. He's articulate, measured in his answers. McVay, Stafford, and Nacua are the voices of the Offense. That's not an accident. Nacua will be a Ram and he's about to get a huge contract. I think Stafford being year to year complicates the numbers.
If he has more off field issues, it’s a conversation.
The injury part? It’s football. They also need to start being smarter with usage. I don’t wanna see nearly as many screens in the future for him. Or runs.
Different contract situations. JSN still had two years of low cost when he signed his 4 year extension. So his new contract doesn’t truly kick in until 2028 (2 years later).
If/when Puka signs, that deal starts immediately in 2027. Unless it’s added on sometime after the one year 2027 tag.
El Chapo Jr
Legend
I agree that it was worse, McVay did say a couple of weeks. Add in that Ferguson got hurt practicing leading up to the Washington game.....I believe it when he's active on game day .
El Chapo Jr
Legend
Its easy, he's far and away your best player. Stop fuckin around and pay him. Pretty stupid not to.