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Rams' Updated Salary Cap After Leonard Floyd's Reported $64M Contract
March 15, 2021
Linebacker Leonard Floyd found his stride with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020, and he'll get to continue his success moving forward.
The 28-year-old agreed to terms on a four-year, $64 million deal with the team, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Rams entered the free agency period $26.7 million over the salary cap, according to ESPN's Field Yates. That number came before they acquired Matthew Stafford under center and brought that deficit to where it stood ahead of the Floyd deal—at more than $36 million, according to Over the Cap.
With the Floyd contract now in play, general manager Les Snead will have even more to grapple with as he attempts to restructure deals rather than cut players, a preference he said he had earlier in March.
Before heading to Los Angeles, Floyd spent four years with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him with the No. 9 pick in 2016, but he never quite found his stride in their system. He had 18.5 sacks and one forced fumble through 54 games before being released in March 2020.
It would have been easy for the Georgia product to get lost on a defensive line that includes two-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald, but he fit right in with a career year in 2020, helping the Rams secure their place as one of the top defensive units in the league.
Floyd posted 55 tackles and 10.5 sacks with one pass defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries after joining L.A. on a one-year deal in April.
"He has done such a great job for us," Rams coach Sean McVay said, per ESPN's Lindsey Thiry. "He has been so steady, so consistent, so versatile."
Floyd's return bolsters an outside linebacker room that includes Terrell Lewis and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, although neither has started a game. The team's other go-to edge defender in 2020, Samson Ebukam, is joining the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year, $12 million deal, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.