Rams GM Says Team Doesn't Plan to Franchise Ndamukong Suh, Other FAs

After going all in to try winning a Super Bowl last season, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to let their marquee free agents hit free agency, including defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh and Dante Fowler Jr. 

Per The Athletic's Rich Hammond, Rams general manager Les Snead said Thursday the Rams "definitely" don't plan on using the franchise tag this offseason. 

Per uSTADIUM, guard Rodger Saffold and safety Lamarcus Joyner will join Suh and Fowler as Los Angeles' unrestricted free agents. 

This would be the first time since 2015 the Rams don't take advantage of the one-year franchise tender. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson received it in 2016 and 2017 before he signed with the New York Jets as a free agent last offseason.

Joyner received the franchise tag from the Rams last year. He had an up-and-down showing in 2018 with 78 combined tackles and three passes defensed, but Pro Football Focus graded him as the 28th-best safety in the NFL. 

Suh signed a one-year deal with the Rams last March. He fared well with 30 stops against the run and 4.5 sacks in the regular season. 

Fowler was a midseason acquisition from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The 2015 first-round pick acquitted himself well with 21 combined tackles and two sacks in eight games in Los Angeles. 

Head coach Sean McVay told reporters the team hopes to keep Fowler. 

"He's definitely a guy we're interested in bringing back, but similar to Ndamukong, you know they're going to have some interest," McVay said, via USA Today's Cameron DaSilva. "But loved being around Dante."

Saffold has been a rock on the Rams' offensive line since being drafted by the team in 2010. The 30-year-old appeared in all 16 games last season for the first time since 2014. 

Per Over The Cap, Los Angeles currently has $24.3 million in cap space available. The defending NFC champions can re-sign quarterback Jared Goff for the first time this offseason, though his rookie deal runs through 2020 if his fifth-year option is picked up.

The Rams put their best foot forward last season, adding talent through trades and free agency with the goal of winning a title. Even though they came up short in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, their strategy worked as intended. 

Even if the Rams lose some, or all, of their marquee free agents, they have a strong nucleus with Goff, Todd Gurley II, Aaron Donald, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks to be one of the top teams in the NFC next season.