The NFL has yet to confirm the exact amount for the 2021 salary cap, but every team will have to be under the limit by March 17 regardless. For teams like the Rams, that could prove difficult considering they’re currently about $35 million over the cap.
Cap casualties and restructures will be necessary in the next week or so, but the expectation is that Andrew Whitworth won’t be one of the players cut to save money. Whitworth has said all offseason that he plans to be back, and that sentiment hasn’t changed with the start of the new league year just 10 days away.
Whitworth spoke to Gary Klein of the LA Times and said he plans to be back next season, but he doesn’t know what’s going to happen with the Rams’ salary cap situation.
“The plan is to prepare myself to play and to plan to be back,” Whitworth said. “But obviously, I have no idea what’s going to happen with our salary-cap situation. … You go through the offseason, you make sure you check off all the things that are feeling good and doing great.
“So, it’s a longer process than probably saying, ‘Hey, I’m back.’ It means I’m committed to being back and that’s the plan. Obviously, there’s a lot of work between now and then that has to go into that on a lot of different facets.”
If the Rams were to cut Whitworth before June 1, they would have a net savings of $5.33 million. They’d take on $5.8 million in dead money, though that figure would drop to $4.17 million if released after June 1.
His cap hit of $11.17 million is certainly manageable in 2021, and considering the way he played last season, he’s worth the money. It’s unlikely Joseph Noteboom’s performance while Whitworth was injured will sway the team’s decision, but it is something for the Rams to consider.
Whitworth wants to be back, and Les Snead said in January that “the answer is yes” when asked if the Rams want to keep him, too. But he clarified that there are “variables to be discussed.” Nothing has been decided yet, but all signs point to Whitworth remaining at left tackle for the Rams in 2021.
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