[Haden]

Haha show me a trade in any sport where the initial requests weren't high. Hell the first reports were New England were asking the Browns for both first round picks for Garapollo. I doubt anybody would call them sloppy or dysfunctional. Some of you guys just find it way too easy to just automatically think the worst of the Rams management. IMO that's sad.

The Rams management of the last 10 years+ has beaten everyone down and expectations are low.

[PARAM]

Okay, according to one website's rankings of UFA's, 4 of the top 7 CBs (other than TruJo) are signed (including the top 3; Bouye, Gilmore and Kirkpatrick). That leaves Logan Ryan, Prince Amukamara, Morris Claiborne still available. TruJo's value is rising.

On the flip side, the top 6 safeties are signed (if Harmon does in fact go to N.England). Where is TJ McDonald heading? And who are we going to replace him with if we don't resign him?

[SMASH]

Okay, according to one website's rankings of UFA's, 4 of the top 7 CBs (other than TruJo) are signed (including the top 3; Bouye, Gilmore and Kirkpatrick). That leaves Logan Ryan, Prince Amukamara, Morris Claiborne still available. TruJo's value is rising.

On the flip side, the top 6 safeties are signed (if Harmon does in fact go to N.England). Where is TJ McDonald heading? And who are we going to replace him with if we don't resign him?

Agree, Tru is gaining value as guys get gobbled up in FA.

Mo Alexander is the on roster replacement for TJ if I had to venture a guess. Mo looks like a decent starter. We need to add a guy at S if TJ does move on, but plenty of safeties still available in free agency. Draft will have some viable potential rookie starters in a deep safety class as well.

[Tom, With Horns]

Guess I use a different definition of dysfunction. My mind creating a bunch of hypotheticals that other people might or might not be thinking doesn't inspire me to call them dysfunctional.

IMO they didn't really want him back but felt the best way to maximize what they're able to get back for him was to tag him. Him signing the deal just forces them to either keep a good CB or keep trying to trade him. That he signed our tender makes it easier to trade him now since a team won't have to give us two first round picks to get him. Again that looks smart in my eye not dysfunctional but it's all my speculation on what smarter football people than any of us think.

For the record, I didn't call them "dysfunctional" I said it has the feel of dysfunction. And that was based on the report that folks are saying the asking price for him was too high. Were they shopping him? Did they tag him to shop him without a partner? Did they expect he wouldn't sign so quick? The optics weren't good.

If this is all part of a grand plan, awesome. Nothing I like better than being wrong.

Still a great day to be a Rams fan.

[PARAM]

They're seeing if they can move him for something of value and open up cap space.
Seems they felt they would be fine keeping him for one season, if that's how it worked out.

Or they wanted to Franchise him and see how the CB market settled out.

So far?

The top rated CB, A.J. Bouye got 67.5 for 5 years (13.5 mil/ avg)
The 2nd rated CB, was Stephon Gilmore and he's reportedly going to N. England.
Tru was rated #3
Dre Kirkpatrick was #4 and he got 52.5 mil for 5 years (10.5 mil/ avg)
Micah Hyde was #5 and he got 32.5 for 5 years (6.5 mil / avg)

I'd say all things being equal, fair or equitable, Tru ought to come in around 11- 12 mil per year. So maybe they say, "here's the deal; 5 years, 60 mil with 24 mil guaranteed". Right now he's guaranteed 17 mil. If he gets injured, that may be all he ever gets. He's gotta see the writing on the wall. His number ain't gonna be 17 mil per year long term. And if he wakes up and signs a fair, equitable deal, the Rams could instantly save 5 mil in cap space.

[Hacksaw]

Or they wanted to Franchise him and see how the CB market settled out.

So far?

The top rated CB, A.J. Bouye got 67.5 for 5 years (13.5 mil/ avg)
The 2nd rated CB, was Stephon Gilmore and he's reportedly going to N. England.
Tru was rated #3
Dre Kirkpatrick was #4 and he got 52.5 mil for 5 years (10.5 mil/ avg)
Micah Hyde was #5 and he got 32.5 for 5 years (6.5 mil / avg)

I'd say all things being equal, fair or equitable, Tru ought to come in around 11- 12 mil per year. So maybe they say, "here's the deal; 5 years, 60 mil with 24 mil guaranteed". Right now he's guaranteed 17 mil. If he gets injured, that may be all he ever gets. He's gotta see the writing on the wall. His number ain't gonna be 17 mil per year long term. And if he wakes up and signs a fair, equitable deal, the Rams could instantly save 5 mil in cap space.

That was an expensive gamble and is possibly hog tying us at a critical time.
It does appear that it might work out that way. Good thing because the numbers that were bandied about were even more absurd.

We can use all the cap we can get and I'd like to keep the player.
We've lost some quality in the D backfield and hopefully we can stop the bleeding.

$12M a year, $24M guaranteed, , C'mon Tru, leap of faith, take one for the team.

[Hacksaw]

I just don't think they're interested in keeping Tru long term.

For the right price, why not? He's got good size, hands and athleticism. Is there more to it? I need to watch some replays and study him some more.

[Hacksaw]

This guys take.
NFL Insider: Trade 'rumors' surrounding Rams' Trumaine Johnson don't add up

Johnson is not a shut-down corner, yet he is set to be highest paid defensive back in the NFL for 2017

by Jason La Canfora

The trade “rumors” about Rams corner Trumaine Johnson leave me a little baffled. Someone walk me through the logic here.
Johnson will make $16.7 million this season by virtue of the Rams, oddly, franchising him two years in a row rather than executing a long-term deal for him, or, for that matter, rather than signing corner Janoris Jenkins, who left for big money with the Giants as a free agent a year ago.
He will have made $30 million in two years from the perpetually struggling franchise, has the ability to re-enter the market next year as a free agent at the ripe old age of 28 (still pretty ideal), and he, wisely, already signed his franchise tender guaranteeing him next year’s salary.
He is a good, productive player. He is not an All-Pro player. He is not a Pro Bowler. He is not a difference-maker week in and week out. He is not a shut-down guy. And yet he is the highest paid corner in the NFL for 2017.
And I am supposed to believe, at a time when the corner market is full of options in free agency (none of whom require any compensation to sign and several of whom have better resumes than Johnson), teams are calling the Rams dying to take this contract off their hands? Really? Smells like fake news to me.

Would the Rams love to get out of this conundrum? Sure. They’d love to get some value for a good-but-not elite player who, wisely, signed that tag ASAP, binding him to that salary. But what are they going to get for him, especially at that price point? A half-dozen teams will have signed new starting corners by Thursday afternoon, there is a crop coming up in the draft and if you represent Johnson, why the hell would you do a long-term deal with anyone for less than $15 million a year? You wouldn’t. You’d negotiate off the tag.
So, again, where is the logic here? Where is the market and where is the ability to get much of anything in return? Any team that like Johnson enough to trade for him would want him long-term and what’s his motivation to do anything less than a blockbuster deal given he’ll pocket just under $17 million this season no matter what?
The Rams could’ve let him walk rather than pay him the 20 percent raise off last season’s already high salary, and waited for that 2018 compensatory pick to roll in (probably a third if he signs a high-end deal) if they were concerned about compensation. There is no way they’d get more than a third-day draft pick for Johnson now, with his 2017 salary guaranteed at a record level. I don’t see it, but then again I suppose crazy things happen in the league every year.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-i ... nt-add-up/

[OldSchool]

LaConforta saying the trade doesn't make sense. That means it's guaranteed to happen.

[BuiltRamTough]