Rams not sold on Trumaine Johnson long term
By John McCarty
It appears unlikely Trumaine Johnson and the Los Angeles Rams will be able to agree to a long-term deal before July deadline.
It was announced recently by the NFL that it is pushing back the deadline for teams and players to agree to long-term deals before the players is locked into the franchise tag for the upcoming season. Despite the extension, certainly doesn’t appear cornerback Trumaine Johnson and the Los Angeles Rams will be able to reach any agreement, and Johnson appears destined to playing a second season on the franchise tag.
In the NFL, players tagged with the franchise tag have until July 17 to sign a long term deal with the team. After that date, players and the team are not permitted to discuss a new contract until after the season.
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As Dallas Robinson points out through Pro Football Rumors, if no deal is able to be reached, Johnson will play on a $16.742 million franchise tag, which is the 20 percent increase in salary based on playing the 2016 season on the tag.
A big, physical corner, the 27-year-old Johnson would appear to be the type of player any organization would desire to keep on the roster. Despite that, the Rams explored moving the corner in a trade earlier this offseason, most notably discussions with the Saints and Browns. So distant and apart are the two sides, they reportedly have only discussed a contract once this offseason and may not speak again before the franchise tag deadline in July.
The deadline will be interesting to watch, as along with Johnson, Washington’s Kirk Cousins and Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell are also franchise-tagged players looking for stability.