[ramsww]

The biggest self inflicted wound the Rams have suffered is obviously the dead money left behind by years of money mismanagement. Before flamers go nuts with incoming about not being a real fan who appreciates the first LA Super Bowl I’ll posit this. Was there a better way?

Floyd was signed to a 4 yr 64 mil $ deal in 2021. We all know the contracts ARob, Ramsey, and others got. What I don’t get is why they signed so many to such long term contracts resulting in so much dead money when they left mid contract many in the 2nd year after signing a new long term contract. We’ve cleared the decks to kerp Stafford, AD, and Kupp yet, you guessed it, they’re still flat broke. I thought they learned their lesson with Goff and Gurley but I suppose we’ll have to accept and enjoy the rebirth of a young Rams team led by players under rookie contracts without the superstars in the long run. They say the Rams are now following the KC blueprint. It’s got to be better than carrying $74,200,000.00 in dead cap money to players filling your opponents rosters…..and that’s just 2023.

[AvengerRam]

The biggest self inflicted wound the Rams have suffered is obviously the dead money left behind by years of money mismanagement. Before flamers go nuts with incoming about not being a real fan who appreciates the first LA Super Bowl I’ll posit this. Was there a better way?

I don't know. Ask the Bills, the 49ers, the Packers, the Ravens, the Cowboys, or any other team that has won a lot of games, but failed to make the Super Bowl, over the last several seasons.

I'd phrase the question a different way... what move, that is now causing a dead cap issue, could you undo without creating a "butterfly effect" that eliminates the championship?

Floyd was signed to a 4 yr 64 mil $ deal in 2021. We all know the contracts ARob, Ramsey, and others got. What I don’t get is why they signed so many to such long term contracts resulting in so much dead money when they left mid contract many in the 2nd year after signing a new long term contract. We’ve cleared the decks to kerp Stafford, AD, and Kupp yet, you guessed it, they’re still flat broke. I thought they learned their lesson with Goff and Gurley but I suppose we’ll have to accept and enjoy the rebirth of a young Rams team led by players under rookie contracts without the superstars in the long run. They say the Rams are now following the KC blueprint. It’s got to be better than carrying $74,200,000.00 in dead cap money to players filling your opponents rosters…..and that’s just 2023.

Every team faces the same issue when it has success. Contracts expire and players want to get long term deals. Sometimes they pay off, sometimes not.

The team with the most dead money this year? The 2020 Champion Bucs.
The team with the fourth most? The 2022 NFC Champion Eagles.

The Rams are really not that unique.

Oh, and in 2024, the problem will be in the past, so... not really a "dead end."

[CanuckRightWinger]

So, ramsww....you are questioning the collective wisdom of Mssrs Demoff, Pastoors, Snead and McVay, huh?
ME: Gutsy move by you!

Let me spike some of the hostile cannons that hypothetically could be zeroing-in on your very very exposed position w/ some rhetorical questions:

1. You do realize ramsww, that this spending strategy won us SBLVI right?
2. To your knowledge, were you ever dropped onto your head as an infant?
3. How long have you claimed to know more than the Rams management team?
4. Are you on some medication at present? And if so, was it manufactured back in the 1990's in the old Yugoslavia?
5. You do realize that the Rams won SBLVI......right?
6. Are you perhaps a 49ers Fifth Columnist who has inflitrated the ranks of us loyal Rams fans?
7. Do you presently reside in an Assisted-Living Facility, and if so, do you have in&out privileges?
8. Regarding you IQ: Please Answer: Who is buried in Grant's Tomb? When was the War of 1812?
9. Is $74,000,000,.00 really such a big number when you consider what the Apollo Program cost?
10. You DO know that our Rams won SuperBowl LVI right??!!!

Hope you were amused by the above.

[Elvis]

This is more conventional wisdom that's wrong.

3 of the top dead money teams for 2023 are the Rams, Bucs and Eagles.

Eagles were in the SB last year, are expected to be good this year and have over $54 mil in dead cap. Howie Roseman is generally considered to be a genius.

Rams won the SB in '21 with a ton of dead cap. Bucs won it in '20. It's okay to take on future cap debt in the quest for a Lombardi.

I think a lot of people have this wrong while the Howie Rosemans and Les Sneads of the world have it right...

[AvengerRam]

Sure beats being Carolina or Arizona, who are 5th and 6th in dead cap. Ugh.

[Elvis]

I'd also point out, as Avenger has, this is no dead end.

The Rams aren't hamstrung. They could free up plenty of cap by restructuring Donald and/or Kupp. They could sign players to back loaded deals which teams (including the Rams) do all the time.

So far they're choosing not to do these things. I think the more interesting conversation is why?

Regardless, they have options for this year if they want them and plenty of cap going forward...

[ramsman34]

A. You have to pay your stars
B. As Elvis and Avenger said, you can’t just cherry pick a move here or there to change the dead money AND win the Lombardi
C. AD, Ramsey, Kupp, Stafford, while highly touted, we’re not “stars” when the came into the league. They earned it. As will I am sure a number of our current young guns
D. Once those kids become stars, they will have to get paid…and the cycle continues.
E. The Rams will stay competitive and in the hunt throughout Stafford/AD/Kupp contracts and as Elvis opined, those contracts can, and likely will be redone and yes that will cause potential dead money issues in the future
F. Rinse and repeat.

[ramsman34]

No one complained about dead money in ‘21. And I suspect when they spend like mad in ‘24/‘25 and have a real shot at a championship (again), no one will complain about dead money then either.

[JackPMiller]

I heard we will be in really good shape, cap wise, next year. It's possible we can sign at least one or two big free agents.

[ramsww]

Not in the past if they repeat the same mistakes unloading, trading or settling with Stafford, AD, Kupp or all of them. 24m in 2024 can quickly balloon up again if we end up eating more of these immense contracts. In realty I don't see it happening but I don't see the Rams learning from their past mistakes either.