Potential salary cap moves: Should the Los Angeles Rams cut or restructure Tavon Austin?

On a magical afternoon in November of 2013, everything went right for Tavon Austin. He showed the NFL exactly why he warranted being a top 10 pick earlier that season. He torched the Indianapolis Colts for 138 receiving yards and three touchdowns - two receiving and one punt return. Rams fans everywhere got HYPED and thought they had hit the jackpot.

Nearly 5 years later and Tavon has not eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game and has 1689 career receiving yards. He was clearly phased out of Sean McVay’s offense in 2018 and doesn’t look to have a spot in the offense moving forward.

Let’s look at one of the worst extensions in recent NFL history and try to figure out what the Rams should do here.

Cut

Pros: The Rams save $3M against the cap next year and (more importantly) free up snaps for Pharoh Cooper - who took on more of Tavon’s role as the season progressed. Additionally, the Rams will remove themselves from any distractions from Tavon if he is kept around.

Cons: Ummmm....... yeah I got nothing

Restructure

Pros: The Rams could still save some money here, and keep an insurance policy around in the event Cooper gets injured. If the Rams can teach Tavon how to not fumble, he might be worth keeping around just to keep defenses honest.

Cons: Have I mentioned Cooper is pretty damn good? Tavon had fumble issues last season and Cooper was clearly better en route to earning second team All-Pro honors. Additionally, I see next to no benefit for guaranteeing more money to Tavon in future years.