3 simple moves Rams could make to free up $42.6M in cap space…

3 simple moves Rams can make to free up $42.6 million in cap space

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva



Los Angeles Rams are in position to be much more aggressive than they were last offseason when their primary goal was creating cap space. According to Over The Cap, they’re projected to have about $32.6 million in cap space this offseason, which includes the $4.9 million they freed up by releasing Brian Allen this week.

There are still a few other moves they can make this year to create additional cap space, and three of them are relatively simple. Very easily, they can free up another $42.56 million in cap room this offseason, with $15 million of that coming after June 1.

Here are three moves Los Angeles can make to give itself more cap flexibility.

Restructure Matthew Stafford's contract: $19.86M savings


(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
The Rams are fully committed to Stafford moving forward and there’s no reason to believe they’ll look to cut him before his contract expires in 2026. That makes restructuring his contract a much easier pill to swallow because as along as they plan to keep him through 2026, there will be no real penalty for adjusting his deal.

Doing so this offseason would free up $19.86 million for 2024, while also raising his cap hit from $50.5 million to $60.43 million in 2025 and $49.5 million to $59.43 million in 2026. Those are obviously massive cap charges, but it would give the Rams much more flexibility to go all in this offseason if that’s their plan.

Joe Noteboom post-June 1 cut: $15M savings


(AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
The Rams already cut Brian Allen, which saved them $4.9 million in cap space. However, the next domino to fall could be Noteboom. He has a $20 million cap hit this year and cutting him before June 1 would only save the Rams $5 million due to the $15 million dead cap charge. A trade nets the same amount of cap savings.

If Los Angeles makes Noteboom a post-June 1 cut, it won’t get the cap space until June, but it will give the Rams a much larger cap savings. They would free up $15 million in 2024, taking on a dead cap charge of only $5 million this year.

Again, it wouldn’t help the Rams right now because the savings wouldn’t come until June, but they signed Ahkello Witherspoon, John Johnson and Demarcus Robinson all after June 1 last year, so there are still starters to be found that late in free agency.

Restructure Rob Havenstein's contract: $7.7M savings


(AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
The Rams signed Havenstein to a three-year extension before the 2022 season, locking him in through the 2025 season. With that deal, they added on two void years in 2026 and 2027 for the purpose of potentially restructuring his contract down the line.

If the Rams were to restructure Havenstein’s deal this offseason, it would free up $7.7 million in cap space for 2024. It would also raise his cap hit from $11.4 million to $13.9 million in 2025 and tack on a dead cap charge of $5.4 million in 2027. In other words, the Rams would pay Havenstein $5.4 million not to be on the roster in 2027, whereas now, he doesn’t have a cap charge that year.

Total savings: $42.56 million


(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
These three very simple moves would free up more than $42 million for the Rams this offseason, setting them up to make a big push in free agency. They would see $27 million of that right away, with another $15 million coming after June 1.

Obviously, with restructures, the Rams are kicking the can down the road and raising their cap charges in future years, but they’ve never been afraid to do that with players they’re committed to, and Stafford and Havenstein certainly fit that criteria.

Another potential option is restructuring Cooper Kupp’s deal, which would save $12.5 million this year but also give him cap charges of $36 million and $33.6 million in 2025 and 2026, respectively. With his injury history, they may not want to go down that route with Kupp.