The Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday did what most NFL experts anticipated: placing the franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson.
Los Angeles now will pay the sixth-year veteran a whopping $16.8 million—making Johnson the highest-paid CB in the NFL.
The 2017 NFL salary cap has been set at $167 million, according to CBSSports.com, an increase of nearly $12 million from the $155.27 million figure last season.
Turfshowtimes.com has constructed an in-depth look at the Rams’ financial situation as a result of Wednesday’s news. The Rams will have a team budget of $167,304,311, which would be the lowest among NFC teams.
They have nearly $19.66 million in cap space for 2017 if they cannot agree to a long-term deal with Johnson before the July 15 deadline.
The team still is paying a collective $3 million for two players no longer on the team, turfshowtimes.com adds.
The Rams paid (quarterback Nick Foles a $6m bonus last year before allowing him to cut his guaranteed money for this year from $1.75m to the $1m on the books left over from his three-year deal he signed after being traded from the Philadelphia Eagles for Sam Bradford along with draft compensation.
(Cornerback Coty) Sensabaugh came through free agency signing a three-year, $15m deal last offseason. He was released after just four games.
The Rams still need help on the offensive line, at wide receiver and tight end, at linebacker and in the secondary. And a recent CBSSports.com report on draft capital for 2017 places L.A. last among the 32 teams.
Management must decide whether Johnson, who had a statistically subpar 2016, is worth a multi-year deal. He ranked 37th among eligible corners in snaps per catch allowed (11). The team will have to be creative in signing players this season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
