Rams Set To Have Over $70 Million in Dead Cap Space in 2023
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As the Los Angeles Rams look to rebound from a dismal 5-12 campaign a season ago, they'll have to do so with at least one hand tied behind their back during the 2023 season.
According to Spotrac, the Rams are operating with $72.2 million in dead cap space for the 2023 season. That's the second-most in the NFL, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who will have $74.3 million in dead cap space and are widely expected to be one of the league's worst teams after Tom Brady's retirement. Meanwhile, the next closest team in terms of dead cap space are the Green Bay Packers at $57.3 million, but to a degree, that's balanced out by quarterback Jordan Love having just a $4.4 million cap hit in his first season as the team's starter.
Wide receiver Allen Robinson -- who was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers after one ill-fated season in Los Angeles -- will account for the largest chunk of that dead cap space at $21.45 million. However, new Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey ($19.6 million) and free-agent outside linebacker Leonard Floyd ($19 million) also will take up significant space that general manager Les Snead no longer has at his disposal.
Perhaps linebacker Bobby Wagner is the most painful name for the Rams to see on this list. The future Hall of Famer had 140 combined tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 10 quarterback hits and five pass deflections in 2022 for the Rams. However, amid a cap crunch, the Rams released the six-time All-Pro after just one season. To make matters worse, he rejoined the division-rival Seattle Seahawks, the team he had spent the first decade of his career with.
To a degree, the Rams appear to have decided to take their medicine in 2023, two years after pushing all the chips to the center of the table to win a Super Bowl.
"We're the ‘boring’ Rams this year," Snead said at the NFL Owners Meetings in March.
"So that when we do get to a moment where we think, 'OK, let's press the gas again,'" Snead continued, "you have the capability to do it."
If there's any consolation, the Rams are slated to have over $34 million in cap space to work with next offseason, which is also in the top half of the league. They'll also have a first-round pick for the first time since 2016. The problem is this will still very likely be a roster in flux, as the futures of defensive tackle Aaron Donald and quarterback Matthew Stafford beyond 2023 are murky.
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