Should the Rams line up for Alshon Jeffery?
By Alden Gonzalez
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Los Angeles Rams spent a combined $131,712,181 on 24 free agents from 2014 to 2016, a figure that ranked 23rd among the 32 teams -- and one that shouldn't really be all that surprising. The Rams have tried to build primarily through the draft in recent years, opting against the free-agent splash and annually sporting one of the NFL’s youngest rosters.
But this offseason should be different.
The Rams have only one pick within the first 68 selections in the draft, but they will have somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million in salary-cap space. They’re expected to spend on unrestricted free agents, and they’re expected to allocate a good portion of that money towards wide receivers, a position that has been a major problem for nearly a decade.
That prompts an interesting question: Should the Rams pursue Alshon Jeffery?
The Chicago Bears aren’t expected to use the franchise tag on Jeffery again by Wednesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, which means he should be available when the floodgates open on free agency March 9.
Receivers like this don’t become available very often, and any team seeking a true No. 1 target will no doubt be interested. The Rams certainly qualify. They haven’t had a legitimate, star-caliber receiver since the days of Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. And they went eight years without an 800-yard-receiving season -- let alone a 1,000-yard-receiving season -- until Kenny Britt turned 110 targets into 1,002 yards in 2016.
Britt is a free agent now, along with Brian Quick, the former No. 33 overall pick who hasn’t quite panned out. Neither is expected back. The Rams are expected to look elsewhere, and they’ll have several intriguing receiver options on the free-agent market, including Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Terrelle Pryor, Kenny Stills and Robert Woods. But none is better, and none will be more expensive, than Jeffery.
In an Insider piece that predicted contracts for the NFL’s top 25 free agents, ESPN’s John Clayton had Jeffery signing a four-year contract worth $54 million, which should make the Rams hesitant.
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