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The St. Louis Rams should have several options at their disposal to upgrade the wide receiver position. One name likely to be on the free agent market is Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson, who will not get the franchise tag from the Bills according to the latest report from the Associate Press.
Johnson is likely to be the second or third-place prize in free agency, after Vincent Jackson and Dwayne Bowe, depending on what the Chiefs do with their receiver. Signing him will be an expensive proposition, with the deal being molded on what a team ends up giving Jackson, who once wanted a $50 million deal.
Johnson and the Bills are far apart in contract talks according to that same report. Johnson is prone to the occasional big gaffe, and ill-advised celebration, but he would give the Rams a big threat to move around the field.
I still think the best way forward is using the franchise tag on Brandon Lloyd, then trying to work out a long-term deal to shave off some of the $9.4 million cap hit the tag would cost. If they do not go that direction, Johnson is a name they would at least have to consider.