:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/5269227/137251946.jpg)
The St. Louis Rams decision to surrender one home game in each of the next three seasons to play in London raised the hackles of a fan base on edge. Adding vacancies to the Ed Jones Dome surely doesn't hurt their negotiating position, but games in Wembley Stadium are more about the "jack" than the threats. Peter King notes in his Monday Morning Quarterback Column that three games in London could be particularly lucrative for the Rams.
According to King, the league compensates the team "above and beyond" their take for a regular season home game. King's sources told him that the payout could be $5 million, at a minimum, for the games lost. Add that up over three years, and King says it could help the Rams add free agents.
It also explains a little more about the decision from the Rams' standpoint. With ticket sales looking rocky after another losing season, they're likely to make significantly more money from playing a game in London versus playing a game in St. Louis. Again, that figures into the leverage discussion too, but it also has a more immediate financial benefit for a team that, as owner Stan Kroenke said, "hasn't taken a lot of jack out of the market."