At the 1:12 mark of the fourth quarter of the NFC championship game, Travin Howard made sure the Los Angeles Rams were going to have another game at SoFi Stadium: Delivering the game-clinching interception.
More than two months after helping extend the Rams‘ season, the franchise decided to extend Howard’s L.A. stay.
Howard’s New Deal
Per the Rams on the late afternoon of Saturday, April 16, the franchise announced that the inside linebacker has signed his restricted free agent tender.
We’ve got @TravinTheGreat locked in for another year! 🤝
Howard’s new deal will pay him $2.54 million for one more year. It also makes him the third ILB option in the Rams’ room — joining last year’s rookie Ernest Jones and the newcomer from the Seattle Seahawks Bobby Wagner.
That game-sealing pick was Howard’s only second NFL interception in his four seasons in the league. Howard delivered a previous takeaway on the road against the Minnesota Vikings that he returned for 19 yards. And that pick came inside the 10-yard line.
Howard would go on and finish with 21 tackles, 15 solo stops and three pass deflections during the regular season.
The 25-year-old has been with the Rams since 2018. He entered the league as a seventh rounder (No. 231 overall) out of Texas Christian University (TCU).
Rams Keep One More Beloved Member
Howard isn’t the only Ram who is officially back on board with the franchise.
Kicker Matt Gay was another signing — also agreeing to signing a restricted tender.
Gay is also expected to earn $2.54 million on his one-year tender. Like Howard, Gay also did his part in elevating the Rams over the San Francisco 49ers: Booting the final points of the evening on his 30-yard attempt.
Gay, though. had another clutch moment during the Rams’ march to the Super Bowl. Following a climatic 44-yard catch by Cooper Kupp that placed the Rams in field goal range, Gay sent his 30-yard try through the middle of the goal posts — sending the Rams into the NFC title game and eliminating the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers — also one of his former NFL employers.
The 28-year-old kicker receives his new deal after earning his first-ever Pro Bowl nod. Gay had began his NFL career as a journeyman kicker who started with the Bucs in 2019, but then signed with the Indianapolis Colts’ practice squad during the 2020 season. After getting signed off the practice squad by the Rams in November 2020, he’s been with the franchise since.
Rams Open up One Spot on Defense
While Howard and Gay are back on board, Kareem Orr unfortunately won’t be.
The 25-year-old cornerback was waived by the Rams on Saturday, ending a one year stay in L.A.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound cornerback managed to squeeze in two games of action, snatching four tackles including three solo stops. Orr came on board to the Rams on May 26, 2021 after a two-year stint with the Tennessee Titans.
Two days after winning Super Bowl 56, Orr signed a reserves/futures contract with the Rams. His departure could signify that the Rams are going to pivot toward drafting a cornerback on April 29. That position is considered a need after the departure of both him and No. 2 CB Darious Williams during the March free agency period.
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Rams Announce Roster Decision on 2 NFC Title Game Heroes