Los Angeles Rams: Fire Les Snead over Trumaine Johnson contract?
The Trumaine Johnson contract situation hangs over the Los Angeles Rams’ ability to negotiate with Aaron Donald, which is another knock on Les Snead.
The Trumaine Johnson contract remains an albatross around the Los Angeles Rams‘ ability to sign Aaron Donald to a long-term contract. The longer the wait, the greater possibility that a deal for the All-Pro defensive tackle doesn’t get done. If that happens, general manager Les Snead should worry about his job.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Confora estimated the odds of the Rams signing Johnson, their top cornerback, at zero percent — as in no chance. That means Los Angeles may have to shed salary by cutting other players who could’ve helped the team in 2017.
Ramblin’ Fan defended Snead for using a second franchise tag on Johnson for $16.742 million. The Rams didn’t want to lose Johnson like it did fellow cornerback Janoris Jenkins to the New York Giants in 2016.
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But it’s safe to say that no other team was willing to pay that amount of money for Johnson. After all, he had just one interception last season without Jenkins on the other side. Johnson had seven interceptions in 2015 with Jenkins as his teammate.
Granted, Johnson is a potential vital cog in defensive coordinator Wade Phillips’ scheme. The Rams could’ve risked losing him by refusing to place the franchise tag on him. But they still could’ve told him of his value in Phillips’ system. It’s a system Donald’s presence will enhance.
Even a $12-13 million offer for one year likely would’ve enticed Johnson to stay. That is, unless he would’ve felt insulted by taking a pay cut from the $13.952 million he made in 2016, per Sportrac. Even in that scenario, the Rams knew that several defenders, not just Donald, had contracts set to expire after 2017, as ESPN.com reported in May.
Snead did not have to shell out $17 million for what La Canfora said about Johnson as “a very good corner, but not a Pro Bowler, much less an All-Pro.” The Rams obviously want to be be playoff contenders in 2017 but realistically are a year away from being able to make a serious run.
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While losing Johnson may not have been ideal, it certainly beats facing the possibility of not signing Donald. Or losing other serviceable players to create enough cap space to sign Donald. If the Rams can’t sign Donald or lose other players because of the Trumaine Johnson contract, Snead needs to go.