Rams' 3 Contract Moves - Stafford, Kupp & Donald - And $70 Million in Cap Space?
They are three of the NFL's most decorated stars and they are three of the foundational players of this highly successful Los Angeles Rams era.
But Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald are also three of the highest-paid players in the sport. And if the Rams want to do roster business as the March 13 start of the NFL year looms?
Logic and math combine to suggest that Stafford, Kupp and Donald will be involved in some contractual changes.
Our colleagues at Turf Show Times do a fine and greatly-detailed job in demonstrating how this all works. But in this space, and for simplicity's sake, we can manage how to move L.A. from its present $24 million in room to $70 million in room in three (plus) strokes. ...
1 - QB Matthew Stafford's present cap hit is $49.5 million. A restructure can save $19.8 million ... and now you are in "shopping'' range.
2 - Receiver Cooper Kupp is at $29.8 million. A re-do can save $12.5 million.
3 - Defensive lineman Aaron Donald is at $34 million. This one is more complicated, because in the other two cases, it's simply about converting base to bonus, with the piper to be paid later. But with Donald? As Turf Show Times explains ...
"By extending and restructuring Donald’s deal, they can save a significant amount of money. ... Add a year or two on to Donald’s deal and lower his $34 million cap-hit to even $27M-$28M, that keeps him among the highest-paid interior defensive linemen and lowers his cap-hit. Ideally, they are able to get this to the $23M-$25M range, but a Donald extension makes a lot of sense.''
The downside here: This can actually represent a greater financial commitment to Donald ... as he's about to turn 33 amid two offseasons of whispers about a someday retirement.
The site suggests offensive linemen Joe Noteboom ($20 million) and Brian Allen ($8 million) be cut ... and voila, the Rams approach $70 million in cap space.
The Rams have in this era done a masterful job of spending big, winning big, and then rebounding, cap-wise, to be able to do it again. Let the piper be paid later ... and watch the Rams spend and win again.
