Free agency hasn’t exactly been kind to the cap-strapped Los Angeles Rams this week, as several key players have left to sign with other teams. Their biggest loss to date, of course, is John Johnson, who landed a three-year deal from the Cleveland Browns.
Among the others to leave Los Angeles are Samson Ebukam, Gerald Everett, Morgan Fox and Derek Rivers. Fortunately, the NFL rewards teams for losing key players in free agency with what it calls compensatory picks.
Depending on the size of each contract and the playing time earned during the 2021 season, the Rams will receive draft picks for their free-agent losses. And according to Over The Cap, they’re projected to land four compensatory picks in the 2022 draft, which is the maximum possible.
Over The Cap projects that Johnson will net the Rams a fourth-rounder, with Ebukam, Everett and Fox returning sixth-round picks in next year’s draft.
Those draft slots could improve if the Rams lose Troy Hill or Austin Blythe in free agency, especially if their contracts are significantly larger than the ones signed by Ebukam, Everett and Fox.
So if they’re unable to re-sign their remaining free agents, the Rams should hope they sign big deals with other teams to provide the maximum return in the form of compensatory picks.
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