The Los Angeles Rams suffered significant losses in free agency last offseason, watching several starters leave last March. That list of players included Greg Gaines, David Edwards, A’Shawn Robinson, Matt Gay, Taylor Rapp, Nick Scott and David Long Jr. Baker Mayfield also left after a brief stint in Los Angeles, signing a one-year deal with the Bucs where he earned the starting job.
The Rams knew that if they let these players leave in free agency, they’d recoup draft picks for many of them in the form of compensatory picks. The NFL awards extra draft picks to compensate teams for their free-agent losses, and the Rams are projected to earn four extra picks in 2024 for their departures last offseason.
According to Over The Cap, the Rams are expected to receive a fifth-round pick for Mayfield, as well as sixth-rounders for Gay, Robinson and Scott. That puts the Rams at the maximum of four compensatory picks, which is how many they received in each of the last two years, as well.
The compensatory pick formula is complex, but it’s mostly determined by a player’s contract value, as well as any postseason accolades and the number of snaps played. Over The Cap notes that because Mayfield earned incentives for his snaps played, touchdown passes, passing yards and the Bucs’ playoff win, it increased his APY into the range of a fifth-round pick instead of a sixth-rounder.
That’s great news for the Rams, of course, so they can thank Mayfield for that.
With tonight's playoff win, Baker Mayfield's 2023 APY should now rise to $6.85M with another $250k incentive met.
And if there was any doubt before, that should seal the deal on the Rams getting a 5th round compensatory pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for his departure to Tampa. https://t.co/C1TNaT6liB
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) January 16, 2024
The NFL will announce the finalized compensatory picks closer to the draft, but as of now, it looks like the Rams will receive four extra picks in addition to the selections they already have – including a first-rounder at No. 19 overall.