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 by Elvis
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   38381  
 Joined:  Mar 28 2015
United States of America   Los Angeles
Administrator

/zn/ wrote:My view? It;s not up to Snead by himself. If McVay doesn't want him they will move on. They're not going to force an expensive player on the coach if the coach doesn't want the guy.


Agree completely. On the other side of this, it's not like Snead went out and got Watkins without a lot of input from McVay.

They both gave up a lot for Watkins...

 by snackdaddy
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   9631  
 Joined:  May 30 2015
United States of America   Merced California
Hall of Fame

The thing about the franchise tag is you can move on after one year if he doesn't fit. But the tag for Joyner is quite a bit less. I really like Joyner in his new position. I think he as a very good future there. I'd lock him up long term before his value goes up so much they can't afford him. If they can do that and tag Watkins, I think that would be the best options. Unless Watkins is willing to sign a deal commensurate with his production. I'm sure his agent will be touting what he can do rather than what he has done.

 by BuiltRamTough
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   5357  
 Joined:  May 15 2015
Armenia   Los Angeles
Hall of Fame

/zn/ wrote:My view? It;s not up to Snead by himself. If McVay doesn't want him they will move on. They're not going to force an expensive player on the coach if the coach doesn't want the guy.

For sure. I meant the Rams. I just said Snead because he is the GM after all. Besides, why wouldn’t McVay want Watkins anymore?

 by Elvis
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   38381  
 Joined:  Mar 28 2015
United States of America   Los Angeles
Administrator

http://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/la-s ... story.html

Rams' Watkins a franchise-tag candidate

By GARY KLEIN
FEB 19, 2018 | 5:20 PM

Bouncing from team to team and quarterback to quarterback does not appeal to Sammy Watkins.

The Rams receiver said so near the end of last season, which for Watkins included a training camp trade from the Buffalo Bills and the first playoff appearance of his four-year career.

The day after the Rams lost to the Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card round, Watkins said he would "definitely" like to stay with the Rams.

"Everything is right here as far as coaches," he said. "They are building something here. Great players."

Though he caught a team-best eight touchdown passes from quarterback Jared Goff, Watkins was not the featured receiver in coach Sean McVay's offense.

But he's in the spotlight now.

Watkins, 24, is one of the Rams' 14 pending unrestricted free agents and -- along with safety Lamarcus Joyner -- a potential candidate to receive the franchise or transition tag.

NFL teams can tag one player starting Tuesday. The deadline to apply tags is March 6.

The Chargers, unlike the Rams, will almost certainly be on the sideline.

Last spring, the team used the franchise tag on edge rusher Melvin Ingram before agreeing to a long-term deal. Tight end Antonio Gates is the biggest-name-pending free agent, but at this stage of his career it is highly unlikely the Chargers would use a tag on the 15-year veteran. Safety Tre Boston is a possibility, but the franchise tag might be too pricey even after Boston played well in his first season with the team.

A franchise tag binds a potential unrestricted free agent to the team for one year if certain conditions are met. The player is guaranteed a salary no less than the average of the five highest-paid players at his position, or 120% of the player's previous salary, whichever is greater.

Teams and players with the exclusive and nonexclusive franchise tag can work out long-term contracts. The deadline this year is July 16. If a nonexclusive franchise-tagged player signs with another team, the team that tagged the player receives two No. 1 draft picks as compensation.

Salaries for players with the transition tag are based on the top 10 players at the position. The player's team can match offer sheets from other teams, but if it declines to match the offer and the player signs with another team, there is no compensation.

The Rams franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson the last two seasons, paying him nearly $31 million in combined salary. He is expected to test the free-agent market this spring but could re-sign with the Rams.

In 2018, franchise-tagged receivers are projected to earn about $16.2 million, according to overthecap.com. A transition-tagged receiver is projected to earn $14.2 million.

Franchise-tagged safeties are projected to earn $11 million, transition-tagged safeties $9.5 million.

Watkins was the fourth player chosen in the 2014 draft. But after he was sidelined for eight games because of injuries in 2016, the Bills did not exercise their fifth-year option. They traded him to the Rams for cornerback E.J. Gaines and a sixth-round draft pick.

Watkins did not immediately meld into the Rams' offense as Goff relied more on Robert Woods and rookie Cooper Kupp, receivers he had worked with the entire offseason and most of training camp.

But the 6-foot-1, 211-pound Watkins flashed as a deep threat, catching a 67-yard touchdown pass against the New York Giants, and proved especially effective on slant patterns near the goal line.

He finished with 39 catches, which ranked fourth on the team. But Watkins – and the threat he posed – opened the field for others. He also appeared to embrace his role as a blocker.

Perhaps most important, he did not sit out any games because of injuries, which has spurred the Rams' interest in retaining Watkins. If they do not sign him to an extension, tagging him would enable the team to further evaluate his durability before deciding whether to commit to a long-term contract.

"I do think we can use him better," McVay said after the season. "I've got to be able to put him in better spots, but I also think that he and Jared will continue to gain a rapport."

In January, Watkins said he did not know what was in his future.

"I just know it's a business," he said. "Since I got traded from the Bills, it's like anything can happen. I didn't see that coming.

"So, for me it's just really … I think I played pretty hard this year and I can't wait to see what my future holds here or anywhere else."

Joyner, 27, was a second-round pick by the Rams in 2014. The team has been attempting to sign him to a long-term deal since before last season.

Joyner appears smart to have waited.

Switched from slot cornerback to free safety in 2017, he flourished in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips' scheme.

Joyner, 5-8 and 190 pounds, intercepted three passes, returning one for a touchdown. He is regarded as one of the top safeties in the pending free-agent class.

If the Rams sign Joyner, they could possibly tag Watkins. If they sign Watkins, they could possibly tag Joyner.

Starting Tuesday, there are two weeks for those scenarios and others to play out.

Staff writer Dan Woike contributed to this report.

gary.klein@latimes.com

Follow Gary Klein on Twitter @latimesklein

Staff writer Dan Woike contributed to this report.

 by dieterbrock
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   11512  
 Joined:  Mar 31 2015
United States of America   New Jersey
Hall of Fame

Transition tag on Joyner only costs about 9 mill which is in line with what he would get, its a no brainer. If Watkins wants to stay and they offer him a fair deal, he'll stay.
Its insane to pay him 16 mill when he was vastly out produced by Woods and Kupp

 by BobCarl
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   4283  
 Joined:  Mar 08 2017
United States of America   LA Coliseum
Superstar

dieterbrock wrote:Transition tag on Joyner only costs about 9 mill
thanks for the info ... 9 mill fits very nicely

out of a salary cap of $178 mill ... the tag on Joyner would be 5% of the total.

Aaron Donald will get how much? $20 mill cap hit is slightly over 11%

Tru Johnson ... he or his replacement likely to get $12-$13 mill which is 7%

Witworth gets 7.1 %
Ogletree gets 6.5%
R. Woods gets 4.7%
Saffold gets 4.4%
Goff gets 4.25%
Gurley gets 4.5% (he deserves a new contract this year)

Kavon Webster gets 2.5%
Zeurlein gets 2%
Hecker gets 2%

The rookie pool will be @ 3.5%

Dead money for Austin if cut, will be about 2% and keeping him will be 4.5%
Brockers and Barron together eat up 12% and dead money on them is a total of 2.5%

This leaves the question(s) of

What will it take to sign or replace Watkins? I think at least 5% maybe more
What will it take to replace Brockers and Barron? 4-5% total for their replacements

This leaves us with about $35 mill for everyone else ( about 32) players.

Rather than going after an elite TE, I'd love to see the team get an elite blocking full-back that can catch passes out of the backfield.

 by Elvis
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   38381  
 Joined:  Mar 28 2015
United States of America   Los Angeles
Administrator

https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/p ... mpaign=nfl

Top 10 unrestricted free agents on defense
BY CAM MELLOR • FEB 23, 2018

Image
Dec 3, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams safety Lamarcus Joyner returns a first quarter interception against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The window to slap a franchise tag on a player opened up this week, and the league saw just one player receive their franchise’s tag so far – Jarvis Landry of Miami. While that window opening may have only seen one player, there were noticeable players that were also released into the vast free agent pool including a few linebackers we outlined in our free agency update on Thursday.

The NFL’s free agency period is anxiously awaiting players, coaches, teams and fans alike, so let’s take a look at the unrestricted free agents on the defensive side of the ball who should arguably be the most sought after this March.

These players can be found broken down in much more detail in the first ever PFF Free Agent Guide, released earlier this offseason for our PFF Edge & Elite subscribers. Stay tuned to our exclusive PFF Free Agent Tracker all offseason long, as we’ll have all the signings, big and small, updated as they happen.

Found in the aforementioned PFF Free Agent Guide, the list of top 10 unrestricted free agents on defense are:

10. LAMARCUS JOYNER

In a career move for the best, Joyner switched to more of a full-time role as a safety in 2017, a role he formerly played while at Florida State. He did so with great success after three underwhelming years as a slot cornerback with the Rams to start his career. Over his four-year career, Joyner had never graded higher than 78.4 overall, and even included a well-below average rookie season at 45.6 overall in 2014. However, his position switch brought with it a huge jump in grade, finishing 2017 as the league’s third-highest graded safety at an elite 90.3 overall grade. Joyner was absolutely tremendous in coverage this past season, allowing just 12 receptions on 28 targets and recording three interceptions and five pass breakups. On the season, he saw just a 31.8 passer rating on throws into his coverage, the second-lowest of any safety with at least 15 targeted passes. In the right defensive scheme and at more of a true safety, Joyner could blossom into one of the league’s top defensive players at the rate he’s going.

 by Elvis
6 years 1 month ago
 Total posts:   38381  
 Joined:  Mar 28 2015
United States of America   Los Angeles
Administrator

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300000 ... witter_atn

Rams might tag Lamarcus Joyner over Sammy Watkins

By Kevin Patra
Around the NFL writer
Published: Feb. 23, 2018 at 09:27 a.m. Updated: Feb. 23, 2018 at 09:38 a.m.

The Los Angeles Rams sit in a quandary that must be answered within the next 11 days.

General manager Les Snead might have to decide whether to franchise tag receiver Sammy Watkins or safety Lamarcus Joyner before the March 6 deadline unless he can come to a contract agreement with one.

It's previously been speculated that the Rams were considering tagging Watkins. NFL Network's Mike Garafolo pumped the brakes hard on that thought, reporting Thursday on Up To The Minute Live that L.A. is leaning toward doing the inverse if it comes down to it.

"I don't know about that," an enthusiastic Garafolo said of tagging Watkins. "Hold onto that one. Because based on conversations that I've had with those involved and around the situation, I'm getting the sense that the Rams are looking at Lamarcus Joyner, their safety, as a priority, and he might be the one that winds up getting the tag."

Garafolo pointed out the Kansas City Chiefs were in a similar situation in 2013. K.C. wanted to keep both receiver Dwayne Bowe and offensive tackle Branden Albert. The Chiefs worked out a (regrettable in hindsight) long-term deal with Bowe, which freed up the franchise tag for Albert.

In an ideal world, the Rams would do likewise, inking either Watkins or Joyner to a long-term pact before the tag deadline, freeing up the tag for the other.

Absent a deal coming to fruition soon, the Rams will lean toward keeping the versatile safety.

The decision to prioritize Joyner over Watkins makes the most football sense. Joyner is a key chess piece in Wade Phillips' defense. The 27-year old moved to safety in 2017, thriving in that role. His ability to drop down and play slot corner, where he spent his first three seasons, makes the 5-foot-8 defender a commodity in today's NFL.

Facing the possibility of losing corner Trumaine Johnson, keeping Joyner in the secondary over the likes of a receiver who earned just 593 yards seems like a no-brainer from an on-field perspective.

We've seen many times in the past, however, that not all decisions are made in a football-related vacuum (even within the Rams own organization -- see Tavon Austin's contract). L.A. sunk a lot into acquiring Sammy Watkins, giving up a second-round pick and corner E.J. Gaines. Watkins finished the regular season as the Rams No. 4 receiving option and tallied just 39 receptions. However, the prevailing thought in keeping the wideout has been that after a year and a full offseason, Watkins and QB Jared Goff could find a better rapport moving forward.

Is Watkins worth a $16 million franchise tag to find out?

With Jarvis Landry getting the franchise tag from Miami, and the Jaguars possibly doing the same with Allen Robinson, Watkins could be the hottest wide receiver if he hits the free-agent market.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said Watkins would have a "legit market from teams who view him as a No. 1 receiver," noting the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears as possible destinations if Watkins makes it to free agency.

Oh, and the Rams still need to freaking pay Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald at some point.

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22 posts Mar 29 2024