The Los Angeles Rams came into this offseason with limited cap space and five key starters hitting free agency. Somehow, they managed to re-sign three of those players, keeping Andrew Whitworth, Austin Blythe and Michael Brockers in horns.
Brockers was a late addition after his deal with the Ravens fell through, re-signing with the Rams after the team had already brought in A’Shawn Robinson as his potential replacement. It seemed impossible for the Rams to fit Brockers under the cap, but they managed to do so with some creative structuring of his contract.
According to Over the Cap, Brockers’ deal is for three years and worth $24 million. Only $14 million of it is guaranteed, which includes a $4 million signing bonus. His cap hit in 2020 is just $3.83 million, which explains how they were able to fit his contract under the cap despite having very limited room.
Here’s a breakdown of his deal and the cap hit in each season. It jumps to $9.83 million in 2021 with a dead cap charge of $5.17 million if he’s cut, so the Rams could get out of the deal after the upcoming season if they want and still save some money.
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Brockers has been a leader in the locker room and someone younger players look up to, and he’s showing even more evidence of himself being a team player with this deal. With a base salary of just $2 million in 2020, he’s helping the Rams by taking less money in Year 1.
If Brockers sticks around through the 2022 season, though, he’ll make more than $10 million in the final year of his contract, which is a nice reward.
With Brockers’ deal now on the books, the Rams are left with just $325,835 in salary cap space. That doesn’t include Leonard Floyd’s contract, either, which is worth $10 million for one year – though the structure hasn’t been revealed.
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