After using the franchise tag in 2016, 2017 and 2018, the Los Angeles Rams have now gone three straight years without applying it to a player. With Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline passing, the Rams opted not to use the tag on any of their pending free agents – a group that includes John Johnson and Leonard Floyd.
Los Angeles appears poised to let both players hit the free-agent market, barring a last-minute extension before the new league year begins on March 17. The legal tampering period opens on March 15, too, so there’s less than a week until the agents of Floyd and Johnson can talk to other teams.
If the Rams are intent on retaining either Johnson or Floyd in 2021, it’s somewhat risky to pass on the opportunity to use the franchise tag. Doing so wouldn’t have meant they’d be forced to pay either player a fully guaranteed salary in 2021. The franchise tag can be used as a way to extend contract talks, giving the team and the player until July 15 to work out a long-term deal.
It also would’ve opened the door for a tag-and-trade, which teams have utilized often in recent years – especially with pass rushers. The Rams could have potentially secured a second- or third-round pick for Floyd in a tag-and-trade, which would’ve helped their draft capital immensely this year.
With Johnson, it’s reasonable to think they could’ve fetched a third-rounder for him. He’s a top safety and although there are plenty of good ones hitting the market this year, a team probably would’ve given up a third to acquire him.
There was a chance that the Rams couldn’t find a trade partner for either player if tagged and they would’ve been forced to pay either Johnson $11.2 million or Floyd $15.7 million in 2021. But in that scenario, they also could’ve rescinded the tag and allowed them to hit free agency if no deal was reached by July 15.
In a year where the salary cap is going to decrease, it’s hard to blame the Rams for not wanting to pay Johnson or Floyd a fully guaranteed salary in 2021. They’d be much better off signing one of them to a long-term extension, allowing the contract to be structured with a lower cap hit in 2021.
But there would have been benefits to using the tag, like extending the negotiating window and opening the door for a possible trade. Now, the Rams will gamble on Johnson and Floyd possibly leaving in free agency.