Rams Were In On Trent Williams; Latest On Williams’ Contract
Earlier today the Trent Williams saga finally came to an end, when the Redskins traded the left tackle to the 49ers. Right at the end we heard the Rams could emerge as a suitor, and apparently Los Angeles did in fact kick the tires.
The Rams, who currently have 38-year-old Andrew Whitworth at left tackle and Rob Havenstein at right tackle, were in the race, and head coach Sean McVay “dabbled” with reuniting with Williams as a guard, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. McVay previously coached Williams when he was Washington’s offensive coordinator. McVay didn’t sound too happy about losing out to his division rival, saying, “thanks for reminding me. I need to go drink a couple of more beers,” when asked about the deal, via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network (Twitter link).
A proposed trade to the Vikings apparently would’ve come with an extension, but Williams torpedoed that deal earlier this morning. Now, it doesn’t sound like he’s getting an extension anytime soon. 49ers GM John Lynch said the team will let 2020 play out “and see what happens after the season,” per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Indeed, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Williams himself made it clear that he wanted to wait on an extension and to earn a new, lucrative pact.
“Trent has been out of football for a year and a half, and Trent made it clear to everyone he wants to come back and didn’t want to do a deal right away,” Shanahan said (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). “He wanted to play and try to get back into it and see where he was at with the rest of the league and pick up where he left off.”
Of course, that’s quite a contrast from earlier reports suggesting that Williams not only wanted out of Washington, he also wanted a brand new contract that puts him at the top of the LT market. But perhaps the opportunity to leave the Redskins and to get a fresh start with the defending NFC champs mitigated his financial demands for the time being.
Williams sat out all of last season due to his dispute with the Redskins, but before that he was one of the league’s best tackles. He’ll slide in as an excellent replacement for Joe Staley, who elected to hang up his cleats earlier today.
Rams Sign Virginia QB Bryce Perkins As UDFA
We’ll be bringing you most of the undrafted free agent signings in batches when they’re officially announced, but for now we’re covering a few of the biggest names. Another one familiar to college football fans is Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, who just agreed to sign with the Rams, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Perkins started his college career at Arizona State in 2015, before transferring to Virginia. He started for the Cavaliers the past two seasons, and was electric at times. As a junior in 2018 he passed for 2,680 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. An elite dual-threat, he added another 923 yards and nine touchdowns rushing.
After that campaign he was the subject of a lot of offseason hype, and there was even some darkhorse Heisman buzz going around. He wasn’t able to fully deliver on that hype unfortunately, and was less efficient in 2019. Still his mobility is well-suited for today’s NFL, and the Rams have virtually nothing at quarterback behind Jared Goff.
Los Angeles hasn’t yet re-signed Blake Bortles, Goff’s 2019 backup, and the only other passer on the roster is 2018 UDFA John Wolford. If the Rams don’t add a veteran, Perkins should have a good chance at the backup job.
Trent Williams Nixed Redskins/Vikings Trade
It sounds like the Trent Williams saga almost came to an end last night, but the offensive lineman ended up squashing the trade. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins and Vikings were close to a deal, but Williams made it clear that he didn’t want to play for Minnesota.
“At some point over the course of today, Williams made it known he would rather not go to the Minnesota Vikings,” Rapoport said (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams). “Essentially, that ended the trade right there.”
Any hope for reconciliation was quieted towards the end of the second round. The Vikings ended up satisfying their need for a lineman by taking Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the No. 58 pick.
Williams denied the rumors on Saturday:
“No, that’s not true,” Williams told ESPN’s John Keim and Courtney Cronin.
Just because the Washington/Minnesota trade didn’t happen, it doesn’t necessarily mean Williams won’t be dealt. Keim reports that several teams remain interested in the lineman, including the 49ers. However, San Francisco’s interest is tied to the status of Joe Staley, who’s flirting with retirement. Keim notes that the Rams could also be a team to watch, as head coach Sean McVay previously worked with Williams in Washington.
We’ve also heard this week that a number of teams haven’t pursued the offensive lineman, including the Eagles and Buccaneers.
Williams, 31, has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract. While some reports have indicated he wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle with a new deal that averages something near $20MM annually, Williams’ agent has denied those claims.
Rams Draft OLB Terrell Lewis At No. 84
The Rams used the No. 84 overall pick to bolster their pass rush. They took outside linebacker Terrell Lewis, giving Alabama its eighth pick thus far in this draft.
Lewis was on track to be picked higher at one point, but an ACL tear in 2018 sidetracked his career. Lewis missed all of the 2018 season, returned in 2019 and registered six sacks for the Crimson Tide.
The Rams moved on from Clay Matthews after one season and let Dante Fowler defect to the Falcons. While Los Angeles added former Bears first-rounder Leonard Floyd and still has Samson Ebukam on its roster, the team probably needed additional help on the edge.
Injuries dogged Lewis for much of his college career. He missed all but four games in 2017 and ended his Alabama run having played in only 14 games. But 10 of those came this past season, and Lewis will look to build on that as a pro.
Rams Rework Rob Havenstein’s Contact
Jared Goff isn’t the only Ram whose contract is getting restructured today. Los Angeles has also restructured offensive tackle Rob Havenstein‘s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Rams converted $2.34MM of Havenstein’s 2020 base salary into a signing bonus, per Yates. That move will create $1.56MM in cap space for Los Angeles, giving the club even more room to fit in the newly-announced signings of Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson.
Havenstein signed a four-year $32.5MM extension with the the Rams in 2018. He’s regressed a bit since then, but he’s still locked in as LA’s starting right tackle. He’s under contract through the 2022 campaign.
Rams Restructure Jared Goff’s Contract
The Rams have officially announced the signings of free agents Leonard Floyd and A’Shawn Robinson, and in order to create the necessary cap space, Los Angeles has restructured the contract of quarterback Jared Goff, reports Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Rams will create $7MM in cap space via the restructure, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Because of their dire cap situation, the Rams were essentially forced to rework Goff’s deal in order to fit Floyd and Robinson on their roster. Over the Cap has already figured Robinson’s 2020 cap hit into Los Angeles’ figures, but it has the Rams at nearly $6MM over the cap without accounting for Floyd’s contract, which will reportedly pay him at least $10MM during the upcoming season.
Goff, 25, inked a four-year, $134MM extension with the Rams last September. He’d been scheduled to have a cap charge north of $36MM (yes, you read that correctly) in 2020, which would have been the largest figure in the league.
Instead, Los Angeles will convert most of Goff’s $10MM salary into a signing bonus and spread out that money over the next five years. While the move will give the Rams some breathing room in 2020, it will make it even more difficult to cut Goff down the line.
2020 NFL Draft Picks By Team
The 2020 NFL Draft is just days away and it’s just a matter of time before picks are swapped and shuffled at lightning speed. Before the trading frenzy starts, let’s take a look at the draft picks owned by each team.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Draft Order By Round]
Updated: 4-17-20 (5:00pm CT)
Arizona Cardinals
1-8:
3-72:
4-114:
4-131: (from Houston)
6-202: (from New England)
7-222:
Atlanta Falcons
1-16:
2-47:
3-78:
4-119:
4-143: (from Baltimore*)
7-228: (from Tampa Bay, via Philadelphia)
Baltimore Ravens
1-28:
2-55: (from Atlanta, via New England)
2-60:
3-92:
3-106*:
4-129: (from New England)
4-134:
5-170: (from Minnesota)
7-225: (from Jets)
Buffalo Bills
2-54:
3-86:
4-128:
5-167:
6-188: (from Cleveland)
6-207: (from Baltimore via New England)
7-239: (from Minnesota)
2020 NFL Draft Capital By Team
Every NFL team automatically gets seven draft picks per season, but thanks to lots of trades and the compensatory pick process, many clubs end up with more (or less) than their original seven selections. After running down the NFL Draft round-by-round, let’s take a look at how much draft capital each club has amassed:
Updated: 4-16-20 (6:00pm CT)
14 picks
- Miami Dolphins
12 picks
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Minnesota Vikings
- New England Patriots
10 picks
- Denver Broncos
- Green Bay Packers
- New York Giants
9 picks
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
8 picks
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Jets
- Philadelphia Eagles
7 picks
- Buffalo Bills
- Chicago Bears
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Cleveland Browns
- Dallas Cowboys
- Houston Texans
- Indianapolis Colts
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Los Angeles Rams
- Seattle Seahawks
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- San Francisco 49ers
- Washington Redskins
6 picks
- Arizona Cardinals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
5 picks
- Kansas City Chiefs
- New Orleans Saints
Rams Rumors: Kupp, Goff, Gurley, Matthews
The latest on the Rams:
- With one year left on his deal, wide receiver Cooper Kupp says he isn’t sweating the Rams for an extension. “There’s so much going on in the world right now,” Kupp said (Twitter link via Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times). “It’s not really a priority at this time.” Cupp, 27 in June, managed 94 catches, 1,161 yards, and ten touchdowns last year – all career highs.
- If the Rams need additional cap room, Jared Goff is open to a restructuring of his deal. “I don’t see why not,” said the quarterback, who added that it’s a matter to be discussed between his agent and Rams COO Kevin Demoff (Twitter link via Omar Ruiz of NFL.com). Thanks to the four-year, $134MM extension he signed last fall, Goff is under contract with L.A. through 2024.
- After parting ways with the Rams, running back Todd Gurley and linebacker Clay Matthews said that the team was late on money they were still owed. In an interview on the NFL Network, GM Les Snead said that they will, in fact, get their bonus checks. However, the Rams disagree with Gurley and Matthews on the language of the contracts – the Rams believe that they’re not due to pay for some time. The Rams, in theory, could wait until other clubs pick up part of the tab via offset language.
Rams C Brian Allen Tests Positive For COVID-19
Rams center Brian Allen is the first active NFL player to test positive for COVID-19, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter link).
Allen first tested positive three weeks ago before testing positive again earlier this week. Fortunately, Allen now says he’s symptom-free and expects to receive the “all clear” this week.
The Rams, whose facilities had only been open to injured players, were forced to close down their building due to Allen’s positive test. Now that Allen is recovering, Los Angeles will be able to re-open next week, per Glazer.
It seemed inevitable that COVID-19 would eventually work its way into the NFL, and it’s entirely possible Allen won’t be the only NFL player diagnosed. It’s unclear if this news will force the league’s hand in terms of schedule; while events like free agency, the draft, and offseason workout programs have been moved to remote settings, no part of the NFL’s has been canceled as of yet.
Allen, 24, entered the league as a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft. He became the Rams’ starting center in 2019 and appeared in nine games before suffering an MCL injury.