Fifth-year options for RB Todd Gurley, CB Marcus Peters lighten 2019 free agency concerns for Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams exercised the fifth-year options on RB Todd Gurley and CB Marcus Peters today, well ahead of the May 3 deadline to do so. In doing so, they’ve taken two of the biggest names off the table from the 2019 offseason and the number of decisions they’ll have to make otherwise with regards to free agency:

So Gurley and Peters decisions get pushed to 2020 (with the potential application of a franchise tag). I’d suggest it’s fair to begin looking at replacements for DL Ndamukong Suh and S Lamarcus Joyner.

That leaves a TON of decisions to work out. RG Jamon Brown, WR Brandin Cooks, DL Aaron Donald, RT Rob Havenstein and LG Rodger Saffold would all require significant investments (to say the least in AD’s case). And while the Rams have tons of cap room on the books to begin handing extensions out to whomever in this group they would seek to, they’ve got those potential extensions to Gurley, Peters and QB Jared Goff to consider building into their plans. So even among this group, you’re probably looking at at least two heading elsewhere. That’s going to be the challenge for General Manager Les Snead and the contract negotiating team of COO/VP Kevin Demoff and Special Assistant Tony Pastoors. Identifying which players meet market value in the Rams’ estimation and which they’d like to replace through the draft or with external free agents. That the Rams have undervalued defensive backs perhaps doesn’t bode well for Peters or CB Aqib Talib who is on a deal that expires after 2019. But otherwise, I’m not really sure who the Rams are most interested in retaining and who they’re comfortable letting hit the market.

At least for now, the Rams can delay those decisions on Gurley and Peters with their sights on major on-field successes in 2018. After that? Well, that’s what the front office gets paid for.

Decisions, decisions...