The Los Angeles Rams have their hands full with the five starters who are set to become free agents, but building a roster in the NFL doesn’t consist of narrowly looking toward the upcoming season. It involves a wider scope that includes looking ahead to future years with the salary cap in mind.
That being said, the Rams could potentially sign a player or two to extensions one year before they become free agents – something they like to do and have done with Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Todd Gurley and Jared Goff in recent years.
“You have to take it in process, but strategically we’ve always enjoyed checking that box for not only us, but for the player so that we all know, OK, we’re here together and we’re working toward the same goals for a long time,” Snead said at the combine of extending players early.
Here are five players the Rams could consider extending this offseason rather than waiting.
WR Cooper Kupp
The Rams already have two wideouts under contract for the next few years with Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks. However, Kupp will be a free agent after the 2020 season and continues to get better each and every year.
If the Rams want to potentially save some money, they can sign him to an extension this offseason before he puts up great numbers again in 2020. If he does that, and with the salary cap always increasing, his price tag is only going to grow. Kupp’s eventual contract could replace that of Cooks’ if the Rams move on at some point, too.
This isn’t to say the Rams should sign him to a new deal now, but it’s certainly something that’s on the table.