Here are a couple potential restructures in 2022 if the Rams wish to create more cap space.
Aaron Donald's salary in 2022 is $9.25M and he's also due a roster bonus of $5M. They could restructure him again in 2022, and would gain maximum cap space by converting $8.13M of his salary plus all of that roster bonus into a $13.1M signing bonus and by adding two null years at the end of his contract, in '25 and '26. That would allow them to spread that new signing bonus over 5 years (the max allowed) and reduce his 2022 cap hit from $26.75M to $16.25 ... a cap savings of $10.5M. (Note that as an 8 year vet AD's minimum salary for 2022 will be $1.12M.)
Jalen Ramsey's salary in 2022 is $15M. As a 6-year vet his minimum salary is $1.035 ... so convert the other $13.965M so a signing bonus, add a null year in '26, and push $11.172M of his cap hit into the next 4 seasons. His 2022 cap hit would go from $23.2M to $12.028M.
And then there's Stafford, where the Rams can get cap relief be extending him rather than restructuring him. Here's just one way to do a 4 year, $120M extension. (Note: that's what Russel Wilson got in his contract extension ...)
Stafford's cap hit in 2022 is $23M: $12.5M salary, $10M signing bonus, and $.5M workout bonus
The Rams could roll that $23M into the deal and essentially make it 5 years, $143M starting with the 2022 season. Maybe give him a $50M bonus just so the math is easy?
2022 $2M salary (plus $10M prorated signing bonus = $12M cap hit)
2023 $20M salary (plus $10M prorated signing bonus = $30M cap hit)
2024 $22M salary (plus $10M prorated signing bonus = $32M cap hit)
2025 $24M salary (plus $10M prorated signing bonus = $34M cap hit)
2026 $25M salary (plus $10M prorated signing bonus = $35M cap hit)
Doing Stafford's extension like this would reduce his 2022 cap hit by $11M.
So there's an additional $32.672M in cap space for 2022 without even doing anything all that hard. Add that to the $13M cap relief they get if Whit retires and the Rams could add over $45M in cap space in 2022 if they wanted to.
AlbaNY_Ram
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 08/26/2021 07:21AM by AlbaNY_Ram.
