The Los Angeles Rams don’t enter the offseason with salary cap issues. Thanks to the expected salary cap boost, the Rams are projected to have around $48 million in cap space in 2026, according to Over The Cap. That number currently ranks eighth in the NFL — not bad for a team that was a few plays away from making Super Bowl LX.
This sets up the Rams nicely to make some all-in moves this year and capitalize on Matthew Stafford’s return. General manager Les Snead also needs to consider impending free agents and extension-eligible players. Cornerbacks Cobie Durant and Akhello Witherspoon after the big in-house free agents to pay attenion to, but the Rams also want to give receiver Puka Nacua an extension and will need to start thinking about Byron Young, Steve Avila and Kobie Turner, too.
Well, with a few strategic contract restructures, the Rams have a clear path to creating flexibility without tearing apart the core of a roster built to compete now and later.
The Rams can free up around $53.1 million in salary cap space this offseason through simple restructures (h/t @sfdata9ers on X), which means converting base salary into signing bonus and spreading that cap hit over the remaining years of a contract. It doesn’t change the player’s total earnings, but it lowers the immediate cap charge.
Stafford is the obvious candidate here if he doesn’t want a new contract. Reciever Davante Adams, should he remain on the roster under his current contract structure, would offer a similar opportunity given he has an $18 million base salary with $8 million guaranteed in 2026. These are clean, one-button moves that buy breathing room without long-term consequences.
The other way the Rams can save more money is with maximum restructures, like extensions or contract renegotiations. L.A. could unlock up to $111.6 million in cap flexibility, the 14th-most in the league, with new deals for Nacua, Turner, Young and/or Avila.
The Rams are in a very enviable position heading into the 2026 offseason. They aren’t strapped for cash and still have the wiggle room to create even more cap space if they want to take some big swings before the season. They can also afford to sign their biggest in-house players to new deals and keep their great core intact for another Super Bowl run.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: How much cap space can the Rams save with contract restructures?
Reporting by Oliver G., Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
