Two former Rams among FA “worst overpays” in 2018...

Two former Rams among free agency's 'worst overpays' of 2018
Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Entering this offseason, the Los Angeles Rams knew there was a good chance both Sammy Watkins and Trumaine Johnson would leave in free agency. Both were arguably the top players at their respective positions, and with the way teams overpay in free agency, they were bound to land lucrative contracts elsewhere.

That’s exactly what happened with Watkins signing a three-year, $48 million deal in Kansas City and the Jets paying Johnson $72.5 million for five years. The Rams were happy to see them ink massive deals in free agency, likely netting them third-round compensatory picks.


It also helps that those two deals are widely viewed as poor bargains for two players who have never made a Pro Bowl. That’s the way Mike Sando of ESPN sees it, ranking them both among the “worst overpays” in free agency.

Watkins came in at No. 1:

The good news is that Watkins is young, talented and joining a team coached by Andy Reid, who excels at maximizing personnel. The bad news is that Watkins simply has not been very productive, a leading reason he is on his third team in eight months.

The Chiefs are paying Watkins as though he’s a sure bet. They were not the only team willing to spend big for him. Dallas was also interested, as was Chicago. It seems like a case of teams valuing a player based more on their draft reports than what the player has done since college.

Johnson ranked a little bit further down the list, checking in at No. 6 with his $14.5 million salary.

Johnson commanded the largest signing bonus for a cornerback in NFL history ($20 million) as a good player with zero Pro Bowls and zero All-Pro selections through six strong seasons. This deal will pay him $34 million fully guaranteed over the next two seasons, which is $10 million more than Malcolm Butler is getting in Tennessee.

The Rams weren’t overly aggressive in free agency with the exception of Ndamukong Suh, but their wise decision to let Watkins and Johnson walk is likely to pay dividends. If not for their reluctance to sign them, the Rams likely wouldn’t have acquired Brandin Cooks, Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib.