Contract Conundrums: How can Rams move on from Allen Robinson?

In January, Les Snead spoke with the media about how the Los Angeles Rams are facing a remodel situation after their attempt to “run it back” failed. Snead was sure to emphasize that the Rams remodel approach was not a rebuild, but that they would have to pay off some debt that they racked up over the last few seasons in pursuit of winning a Lombardi Trophy.

Over the next month and a half, Les Snead and Tony Pastoors will spearhead the Rams front office approach in finding the best way to remodel the roster despite restrictions in cap space and no first round pick in this year’s draft.

The best way for the Rams to remodel their roster will be to find cap saving moves through the release, trade, and restructuring of contracts. Some players may require some advanced methodology to conserve cap space, while others may be more straightforward.

Previous contractual moves:

• Cooper Kupp, WR

The next name on the Rams offseason list of financial adjustments is Allen Robinson.

In 2023, Robinson will earn a base salary of $10,000,000 and a roster bonus of $5,250,000, while carrying a cap hit of $18,050,000 according to Over the Cap.

Current contract: Three years (two remaining), $46.5 million

There probably wasn’t an offseason move last year that was worse than the Rams decision to hand Allen Robinson a three-year deal, other than the Broncos decision to trade for Russell Wilson. One year into the deal, Los Angeles may already be considering a way out. What hurts most is that Robinson’s contract was back loaded with two void years attached. His cap number in 2022 was only $4.3 million. Now, the Rams must find a way to get more production out of a wide receiver that appears to be slowing down OR they must find a way to move his contract for the sake of cap relief (even if it means attaching a draft pick). LA could entice a cap flush team to strike a deal. Six of the seven teams with the highest cap spaces are in need of wide receivers. The Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and Baltimore Ravens will be looking to upgrade their pass catching unit.

It’s hard to envision the Rams not making a move. Cutting (pre-June 1 or post-June 1) Robinson does not offer any financial advantage for the Rams. The options are either to keep him or trade him. LA is currently $14.1 million over the cap. With the need to create space, keeping Robinson just does not seem feasible with pressing needs at other positions on the roster. A pre-June 1 trade would save the team $6.85 million with a $11.2 million dead cap. A post-June 1 trade would save the team $15.25 million with only $2.8 million in dead cap. However, finding a trade partner after the June 1 deadline may prove to be difficult.

Decision: pre-June 1 Trade