Constantly moving salary cap from one year to another.
But, we've only signed Goff, Kupp, Woods, Higbee, Havenstein, Whitworth, Blythe, Donald, Robinson, Ramsey, Brockers - literally the other 42 players on the roster are either on rookie or super cheap deals (Malcolm Brown).
Higbee, Havenstein, Blythe, Robinson are all between 6-9 million. The only players with huge contracts are Goff, Woods, Kupp, Donald and Ramsey - and only Goff and Donald's huge extensions have already kicked in. The other three don't until next year.
The cost of all this has been:
Year one off-season: Sammy Watkins
Year two off-season: LaMarcus Joyner, Rodger Saffold (mistake)
year three off-season: Cory Littleton, Dante Fowler
Upcoming off-season: Everett, Floyd, Ebukam, John Johnson, Malcolm Brown, Josh Reynolds and possibly Troy Hill and Austin Blythe, and Whitworth probably retires
Then the Gurley and Cooks contracts that were mistakes after just two seasons.
What Snead doesn't get enough credit for is letting all these guys go - only Saffold has been a mistake to let go. Despite Fowler having a good year last year, Rams fans believe that if had kept Saffold and let Fowler walk after the Super Bowl, our OL still would have been dominant as he's one of the best guards in the NFL. I think the Rams didn't want to sign him because he's over 30 and has an injury history.
Anyways - the rest of those guys are all average to above average starters (in Saffold and John Johnson, pro bowl caliber), but after we saw what Buddha Baker got, I have no problem letting Johnson go.
But what Snead and McVay have done an outstanding job of is replacing these average to above average starters who will get WAY overpaid in FA with draft picks - so for example, this year we drafted:
Akers to replace Brown
Van Jefferson to replace Reynolds (and Van has looked GOOD)
Terrell Lewis to replace Ebukam
Terrell Burgess and Jordan Fuller to replace John Johnson
Brycen Hopkins to replace Gerald Everett
From the previous draft, David Edwards and Bobby Evans to replace Whitworth
We will need to replace or re-sign Floyd, Hill and Blythe - I personally think we re-sign Blythe and let Floyd and Hill go, then draft their replacements early. As for the draft, too much is made about trading the first round picks - McVay has never picked in the first round, and we've still landed a lot of really good players.
And after losing Littleton and Fowler and only signing Robinson, we're likely be getting 3rd and 5th round comp picks - which has been the key to keeping this roster stocked with talent.
