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The Los Angeles Rams officially won’t have Eric Weddle back in 2020 after the six-time Pro Bowler announced his retirement on Thursday. He still had one year left on his contract, but with John Johnson and Taylor Rapp looking like the starters at safety, Weddle opted to call it a career.
He was an important leader and veteran locker room presence for the Rams last season and a player who will certainly be missed by his teammates and coaches. But there is a bit of good news for the Rams with this transaction.
According to Rich Hammond of The Athletic, not only will Los Angeles get $4.75 million back for his 2020 cap hit, but the team will also gain a $500,000 credit from 2019.
As part of Eric Weddle's pending announced retirement, the Rams not only would get back all $4.75 million of his 2020 salary-cap hit but also $500,000 in credit from 2019. That's pretty significant.
— Rich Hammond (@Rich_Hammond) February 6, 2020
For a team with not a lot of cap space and several starters set to hit free agency, any additional money the Rams can find is huge. $5.25 million won’t be enough by itself to keep someone like Cory Littleton or Dante Fowler Jr., but it could help bring back Austin Blythe or Greg Zuerlein.
When the Rams signed Weddle to a two-year deal, they structured it so that they could easily get out of it before the 2020 season if they wanted to. Even if he hadn’t retired, they could’ve cut him to save $4.25 million, only incurring a dead cap charge of $500,000.