Getty Sean McVay and Odell Beckham during Super Bowl 56.
After signing Allen Robinson then Bobby Wagner to mega deals in March, the Los Angeles Rams continued their streak of adding big name NFL players to their roster under general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay.
And brace yourselves, the Super Bowl champs may not be done yet.
Per Rams insider Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic on Tuesday, April 12, there are two prominent names still out there who have been attached to the Rams. And Rodrigue says a source told her one defender who once made $65 million at the place where he once won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award has had contact with the defending champs.
Who the Rams are Talking to, per Insider
In her “Rams Notes” article published late Tuesday afternoon, Rodrigue revealed that unrestricted free agent Stephon Gilmore and the Rams are talking.
Rodrigue: “The Rams have been in contact with Gilmore this offseason, a source said.”
Rodrigue then added what could happen to the Rams defense if the man who once earned a five-year, $65 million contract for establishing himself as a premier cornerback for the New England Patriots comes inside the “Rams House.”
“If signed, Gilmore would occupy the outside cornerback role opposite of Jalen Ramsey,” Rodrigue noted. “If and when Ramsey moves into the ‘star’ position, either Robert Rochell or David Long Jr. can play the other outside spot.”
There’s also the expectation that the Rams will draft a cornerback, Rodrigue mentioned. Cam Taylor-Britt of Nebraska has already been tabbed by the Rams insider as her option at the No. 104 spot of the draft (where the champs hold their first selection for the April 29 portion of the draft). However, other national outlets compiled by the Rams’ team website on Monday point to the team drafting edge or offensive line help.
Gilmore went from his $65 million deal with the Pats to earning a base salary of $5,856,217 in his lone season with the Carolina Panthers per Spotrac.
While the Rams have their CB options in place with the All-Pro Ramsey, the veteran from nearby Loyola High School Long Jr. and the incoming second-year pro out of Central Arkansas Rochell, the Rams did lose one key piece from their secondary during the free agency period: Darious Williams, who signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Where Things Stand With Another Prominent Free Agent Defender
Another name that’s been popularly linked to the Rams by fans and pundits: Free agent Tyrann Mathieu.
The 29-year-old who has earned three Pro Bowls, three First Team All-Pro nods and a Super Bowl ring with the Kansas City Chiefs during his nine seasons in the NFL is still searching for an NFL home for 2022.
So if Gilmore is striking up conversations with Rams officials per Rodrigue and her source, does this mean Mathieu is also talking to the champs? Rodrigue addressed that:
“Meanwhile, I have not gotten the sense that the Rams front office has so far had developing conversations with Mathieu,” Rodrigue wrote. “This does not rule out current mutual interest of future interest from the team in Mathieu, but it does make the Rams’ priorities more clear in the short term.”
I haven’t gotten a sense that Rams FO has so far had progressing conversations with Mathieu, but that doesn’t rule out current or future interest. There’s key context to know here – and on Gilmore, too, with whom they’ve been in contact, source says. More:
Rodrigue sees Mathieu as a potential “star” fit opposite of Ramsey in the Rams’ defense. She concludes what the “important catch” would be to reel both in.
“The Rams would certainly be interested in bringing in either, or both, players — but the important catch here is that they couldn’t pay anywhere near standard salaries if they didn’t have the opportunity to sign both players,” Rodrigue wrote. “Even in signing one of the two, the Rams’ number would be much lower than the expected number either player initially hit the free agency market with.”
With $7,008,530 left in cap space according to Over the Cap, would both command a high price to become Rams and do the Rams have enough to work with if they manage to bring both on board?
“Any one player who now joins the team by any means other than a trade would likely have to agree to a lower-than-expected salary at least in the short term, and that includes Mathieu and Gilmore,” Rodrigue said.