LA Rams 22 UDFA suddenly extremely vital to team’s future success
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 17, 2020
A $40 million cap hit in 2020? Yes, you are reading that right.
This is an issue the NFL-NFLPA faces now. A Pay-me-now-or-pay-me later scenario has developed, and now everyone must agree or face the uncertain consequences of failing to act.
— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) July 17, 2020
So the LA Rams face a very common 2020 theme once more. How can the team shave out $40 million in salary cap expense this season? More importantly, how can the team remain competitive in the process?
The LA Rams 2020 salary cap woes just keep on growing. In a season of uncertainty, the last thing NFL teams need is to discover at point-blank range that the 2020 salary cap may suddenly plunge by an amount of up to $40 million this year. Why the drastic cuts? We\u2019ve been citing the plunge of NFL revenue for weeks, and the NFL projections have finally delivered on a per-team impact for 2020.\n Both the NFL and NFLPA are motivated to act now. The latest CBA links NFL salary caps to the previous year\u2019s revenue. In a \u201cpay as you go\u201d mode, the significant drop in the 2020 revenue will have a drastic impact on team and player finances next season. While this will impact all 32 NFL teams equally in terms of dollars, the impact of a salary cap reduction will hurt some teams far more than others.\n The economic proposal the NFL sent the NFLPA on Tuesday removed the 35% salary escrow provision \u2014 but instead would\u2019ve slashed each team\u2019s player costs by $40 million in salary cap and\/or benefits in 2020, per sources. Player leadership strongly opposed to such a short-term hit.\n \u2014 Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 17, 2020\n \n A $40 million cap hit in 2020? Yes, you are reading that right.\n This is an issue the NFL-NFLPA faces now. A Pay-me-now-or-pay-me later scenario has developed, and now everyone must agree or face the uncertain consequences of failing to act.\n The reason that the players should also want cap clarity before training camp is because if teams go into camp thinking the cap could drop by $70+M in 2021 you will see a number of mid level vets likely cut this summer to build space for the future.\n \u2014 Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) July 17, 2020\n \n So the LA Rams face a very common 2020 theme once more. How can the team shave out $40 million in salary cap expense this season? More importantly, how can the team remain competitive in the process?\n (Photo by Leon Bennett\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n When the LA Rams entered the 2020 offseason, we detailed five moves that the team could take to reduce $80 million from the team\u2019s 2020 salary cap.\u00a0 The team did some steps completely, did some steps partially, and outright avoided some steps. Of course, the main course for the entire cap reduction involved the restructuring of the team\u2019s highest-paid players. But instead, the team took a far different approach.\u00a0 By releasing veteran running back Todd Gurley, and trading away veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the team assumed the financial penalties for overpaying both players and magnifying that error by guaranteeing so much of their salary.\n At the time of that article, the Rams had $20 million in available space. But the cumulative dead cap effect of separating from both players in the same season amounts to $33.5 million. Factoring in the additional unexpected cap hit of cutting OLB Clay Matthews and the Rams salary cap hit of $35.5 million this year seems\u2026unwise. The Rams did not trade either Rob Havenstein or Malcolm Brown yet. But they are by no means safe just yet, either.\n But the opportunity to push today\u2019s dollars into tomorrow remains a viable option. In a must-do scenario, the Rams could restructure (not cut, just change the timing of recognizing the cap hit) the contracts of Jared Goff, Aaron Donald, Tyler Higbee, Robert Woods, and Andrew Whitworth to generate the salary cap move to shave $40 million from 2020, simply by pushing that into the future.\n Of course, the Rams could also have shaved the 2020 salary cap hit by extending CB Jalen Ramsey.\u00a0 Our original scenario generated a savings of nearly $7 million a year while lining Ramsey\u2019s pockets today and for the foreseeable future.\u00a0 But even as we point to the options of last resort, there are other ways for the team to build in some salary flexibility. Look to players signed after the NFL draft to fill the roles with the team.\n (Photo by Scott Taetsch\/Getty Images)\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\n The LA Rams front office and coaching staff are in groundbreaking territory right now. Never before has the NFL imposed roster reductions before coaches ever meet players. How can a team count on a player added to the roster after the draft to play at an NFL level without ever seeing them in drills?\u00a0 But that is where the team is right now. Anywhere a player might be in a virtual tie in the competition, or even relatively close, the financial impact of that player\u2019s contract will like to be a far larger tie-breaker than ever before.\n That means wherever an undrafted player can make a positive impact, the LA Rams now have a financial incentive to ensure he does so. Undrafted rookies cost the team $610,000 this season, while drafted rookies and NFL minimums start at $675,000. That\u2019s a small pay differential, yes. But multiplied across 10 players, it could be the difference of coming in under the salary cap or coming in over it.\u00a0 These are unprecedented times, which means the Rams will need to consider all unprecedented measures possible.\n The Rams signed 22 players after the 2020 NFL Draft.\u00a0 Of that group, many will have their sights on making the roster. While the lack of any face-to-face time with the team prior to roster cuts for training camp certainly limited their chances significantly, the new likelihood of shaving $40 million from the team\u2019s payroll may balance that out in their favor.\u00a0 We know the team added two running backs with solid talent.\u00a0 We know that the special teams return duties may be filled by one of the many speedy additions to the roster after the draft. We have looked into the blazing speed of undrafted receiver Brandon Polk. We have even examined the likelihood of three undrafted players making a bid for a starting role on the team this year.\n This is a huge season and challenge for head coach Sean McVay and the entire Rams coaching staff.\u00a0 While the Rams overcame lofty expectations in 2018, the team is facing a tarnished outlook in 2020. The Rams are at an important crossroads for the team and for McVay\u2019s legacy. Can the LA Rams do more with less in 2020 better than any other NFL team?\u00a0 In a whirlwind of partial information, no landmarks, and no compass points, only teams led by strong innovators and doers will succeed. This is no longer a question of best business practices. It\u2019s a competitive question of survival. Bet on the Rams and McVay every time."}],"useSlideSources":true,"themeType":"classic","prevPost":"https:\/\/ramblinfan.com\/2020\/07\/17\/la-rams-news-2020-nfl-season-will-be-determined-by-health-safety-and-well-being\/","nextPost":"https:\/\/ramblinfan.com\/2020\/07\/17\/la-rams-norm-van-brocklin-still-holds-passing-record\/","prevText":"Prev","nextText":"Next","buttonWidth":0,"buttonWidth_post":0,"postUrl":"https:\/\/ramblinfan.com\/2020\/07\/17\/rams-22-udfa-suddenly-extremely-vital-teams-future-success\/","postId":76291,"refreshAds":true,"refreshAdsEveryNSlides":1,"adRefreshingMechanism":"javascript","siteUrl":"https:\/\/ramblinfan.com","prevText_post":"Prev post","nextText_post":"Next post"}; (function ($) { $(document).ready(function () { try { tpsInstance = new tps.createSlideshow(tpsOptions); } catch(e) { } }); }(jQuery)); Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Los Angeles Rams and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. 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![\"LA](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/fetch\/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600\/https%3A%2F%2Framblinfan.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F540887900.jpeg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBack to that restructure\n
Restructure road reopens\n
![\"LA](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/fetch\/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200\/https%3A%2F%2Framblinfan.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2016%2F04%2F1033790176.jpeg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t22 undrafted free agents\n
Undrafted by incredibly talented players in the on-deck circle\n
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