One of the biggest benefits that comes with finding immediate starters in the draft is the low cost of their rookie contracts. The rookie wage scale has made players more affordable on their first contracts in the NFL, which is something the Rams have capitalized on with names such as Cooper Kupp and John Johnson – and before they signed their massive extensions, Jared Goff and Todd Gurley.
They hope to continue that trend with their incoming class of rookies, who were just selected last month in the 2020 draft.
In the first two rounds, the Rams added impact players on both offense and defense. Cam Akers and Van Jefferson were their picks in the second round, while Terrell Lewis and Terrell Burgess were selected in Round 3.
Just how much will each player cost the Rams in the next four years? Over The Cap has contract projections for the Rams’ top four picks, laying out each player’s base salary from 2020-2023, as well as their signing bonuses.
Cam Akers
2nd round, 52nd overall
Total Value: $6,173,042
Signing Bonus: $2,049,484
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $512,371 | $1,122,371 |
| 2021 | $890,593 | $512,371 | $1,402,964 |
| 2022 | $1,171,186 | $512,371 | $1,683,557 |
| 2023 | $1,451,779 | $512,371 | $1,964,150 |
Van Jefferson
2nd round, 57th overall
Total Value: $5,611,140
Signing Bonus: $1,640,828
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $410,207 | $1,020,207 |
| 2021 | $865,052 | $410,207 | $1,275,259 |
| 2022 | $1,120,104 | $410,207 | $1,530,311 |
| 2023 | $1,375,156 | $410,207 | $1,785,363 |
Terrell Lewis
3rd round, 84th overall
Total Value: $4,638,594
Signing Bonus: $933,524
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $233,381 | $843,381 |
| 2021 | $820,845 | $233,381 | $1,054,226 |
| 2022 | $1,031,690 | $233,381 | $1,265,071 |
| 2023 | $1,242,535 | $233,381 | $1,475,916 |
Terrell Burgess
3rd round, 104th overall
Total Value: $4,499,400
Signing Bonus: $832,292
| Year | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Cap Number |
| 2020 | $610,000 | $208,073 | $818,073 |
| 2021 | $814,518 | $208,073 | $1,022,591 |
| 2022 | $1,019,036 | $208,073 | $1,227,109 |
| 2023 | $1,223,554 | $208,073 | $1,431,627 |
The biggest takeaway with these contracts is just how cheap they are. Every rookie draft pick in 2020 will have a base salary of $610,000, but they’ll earn different sized bonuses, which will dictate their cap hits.
Comparing Akers’ contract to the one Gurley signed shows a huge difference. His cap hit in 2020 alone was set to be $17.25 million, which is $16.1 million more than Akers will cost Los Angeles this coming season. His 2021 cap hit was only slightly better at $13.2 million, which is still more than Akers’ entire contract is worth.
The same can be said about Jefferson and Brandin Cooks’ contracts. Cooks’ cap hits were set to be $16.8 million in each of the next two seasons compared to a total cap hit of $2.2 million for Jefferson in 2020 and 2021.
Whether Akers and Jefferson will be able to match the production of Gurley and Cooks remains to be seen, but they’re certainly going to be a lot cheaper for the Rams in the next four years.
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