Contract Talks at the Forefront as Rams Begin Training Camp

Sean McVay addressed the Rams' upcoming contract decisions as training camp began, while Steve Avila discussed his future and potential extension.

Jun 2, 2026; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams lineman Steve Avila (73) during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Rams are entering an important offseason when it comes to the futures of several players on the team. When the Rams re-rooled following the 2022 season, it was the 2023 draft class that included Braden Fiske, Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, and others that helped turn things around immediately. As the Rams enter 2026, those players are entering contract seasons and the Rams will need to figure out who they want to bring back. 

Earlier this offseason, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Rams were giving early indications that they wouldn't extend their 2027 free agents this summer. While it was possible that could change, those deals were not on the radar in early June.

Why the Rams Are Waiting on Extensions

Heading into 2026, Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kevin Dotson, and others are entering the final year of their contracts. Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed the contract situations of those players when he spoke to the media on Saturday. 

“We've had a lot of internal dialogue and discussions and there's been a lot of moving parts,” said McVay. “I've talked to those players about it. I know that our group has had some conversations with agents. We still have to figure out some other things where there's an order of things relative to just some moving parts of things that we've talked about already here to be able to figure out, alright, what does that look like?”

McVay mentioned that the team has several moving parts when it comes to those contract situations and he’s not wrong. Given the number of players up for extensions, how the Rams handle those and how they are structured is very important. 

The most obvious of those moving parts is Aaron Donald. Until Donald returns, it’s unlikely that extensions with any of those players get done. If Donald decides to return, he would be owed $30 million from the team. While the Rams may not pay him that, the team will need to have as much flexibility as possible to find something that works for both sides. 

Puka Nacua's Contract Is More Complicated

Another aspect of this is that the Rams simply need more information before committing long-term to a few of these players. They will also have difficult decisions to make as it will be almost impossible to bring back everybody. 

When it comes to Puka Nacua, the Rams are going to want to see more maturity before committing to a deal worth close to $40 million per year. Nacua’s off-field situation added more questions to a potential extension than there had been previously. 

Sean McVay and Puka Nacua are very close..

"Puka Nacua is one of the best players in the NFL..

At some point in time he's gonna get a new deal with the Rams" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/tPrPe2SQaU

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 27, 2026

Nacua gave no indication of holding out during OTAs and he began practicing during training camp. Additionally, a holdout wouldn’t have benefitted Nacua and his current standing with the team. It’s very possible that the Rams look to franchise tag him after the season to buy them some more time. 

Steve Avila Has Something to Prove

For a player like Steve Avila, the Rams will want to see him take that next step. The Rams will likely need to decide between Avila and Dotson. Right now, Dotson may have a slight edge.

“I try not to think about that stuff too much, but I just want to be who I am and I know all that stuff will work itself out,” said Avila. “All that stuff will work itself out soon, and again, I’m not thinking about it too much. I just want to go out there and do what I can for this team.”

This doesn’t seem to be a case of the Rams not wanting to reward or pay players that they’ve developed. Last season, the Rams rewarded players like Kyren Williams and Quentin Lake during the season. 

Balancing the Salary Cap and the Future

While the Rams made Trent McDuffie's extension a priority and re-worked Myles Garrett's contract, that doesn’t mean that the Rams don’t also have their own guys in mind. Over the past few years, the Rams have been able to benefit from many of their young stars being on rookie contracts. How they approach those deals will be important in their future salary cap health. 

The Rams are set to have $79 million in cap space next offseason and $162.81 million in 2028. However, the Rams only have 33 players on the books in 2028. As the Rams extend players and keep money available for free agents, that will certainly change. It’s possible that the team tries to backload those extensions to line up with Ty Simpson on his rookie contract. 

Heading into 2026, the Rams are in an interesting spot because they are at the end of one Super Bowl window before having to build towards another. Matthew Stafford continues to get older and the young core that they’ve developed over the past couple of years are coming up on the end of their rookie contracts. The Rams also have one eye on the future after drafting Ty Simpson.

Following this season, the Rams will need to figure out who their future pillars are going to be for that next window and who they want to build around in 2027 and beyond. Even if the Rams don’t get any extensions done this offseason, the conversations happening now will play a role in those future decisions.