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PHDram
If the league was blackmailing the safety position which is pretty ludicrous if one needs a safety the rams must have missed the memo as they add pent quite a bit on a safety in lieu of a wr. In retrospect they could have tagged Watkins and signed Joyner to a modest deal since safeties were blackballed.

If the story is true, and who knows (but it explains a lot), then the way it works, the blackballing is happening to market free agents. If the Rams went on the market to buy a free agent safety you might have a point. But none of collusion story has anything to do with either signing or tagging an in-house player.

Plus it's not clear that just because free agents are being blackballed that you can get your in-house safety to sign for less. I doubt they would try that anyway since it's unethical. RAMS: "Hey Joyner, there's an illegal collusion that is preventing safeties from being signed, therefore we offer you less than real market value." JOYNER "Sounds good to me."

And I think it's obvious they want Joyner.

Plus it's not obvious they wanted Watkins at market prices. The tag for a receiver in 2018 costs pretty much the same as what he signed for in KC. The tag amount for WRs this year is 15.982 M. Watkins signed with KC for 16 M and 30 M guaranteed.

That could mean they like Cooks more since signing Cooks is going to cost more than 16 M.

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