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ramBRO
Again, how is it that we managed to find cap dollars to extend Higbee...but not Matt Gay?
At the time of his signing Gay was the highest paid kicker in the league. Signing him to the contract he got with the Colts would have added $3M to this year's cap at a time when the Rams were already looking to shed money and in a season where they were carrying over $79M in dead money.
The extension Higbee signed doesn't kick in until next season and the cap hits for that extension go against the 2024 cap (where the Rams have $57M in cap space) and the 2025 cap (where the Rams have $115M in cap space). Note that Higbee is getting $2.9M in salary and bonus money this season and his cap hit is $6.4M this season.
Many consider Higbee to be an average starting TE and they will get no argument from me. But he is currently the 14th highest paid TE - pretty much smack in the middle of the TE pay scale right now. To me that looks like giving an average TE an average TE salary.
But by 2025 he might be the 20th or 25th highest paid TE. There are several TEs on their rookie deals who will sign their second contracts between now and then for more than the $8.5M a year his extension is worth. (Some possibilities: Pat Freiemuth, Kyle Pitts, Dalton Schultz, Evan Engram, Daniel Bellinger, Greg Dulcich, Isaiah Likely, Colby Parkinson, Noah Gray, Cade Otton, Trey McBride, Irv Smith).
Also note that Higbee has no guaranteed money in 2025. If he stinks up the joint next year (or if Hopkins/Allen/Long progress to the point where someone else can take over the starting TE spot) the Rams can release him.
AlbaNY_Ram
