Report: Rams don’t expect to tender this restricted free agent
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By: JB Scott
LA will let Christian Rozeboom test the free agency waters
Don’t expect the Los Angeles Rams to tender middle linebacker Christian Rozeboom after the latest report from The Athletics’ Jourdan Rodrigue. Rozeboom is a former undrafted free agent that carved out a role as a key special teamer and rotational off-ball linebacker next to Ernest Jones this season. As Rodrigue mentions in her tweet, the “original round” tender for a restricted free agent is around $3M for 2024, and that’s a substantial cost for a depth player like Rozeboom.
I don’t expect the Rams to tender ILB Christian Rozeboom after speaking with a few sources this week. Rozeboom, the Rams’ No. 2 ILB and a core four special teamer, would become a FA in that case. The tender is about $3M. His situation is worth watching with former Rams coaches
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) March 3, 2024
Rozeboom played over 550 defensive snaps this season, so he had a fairly sizeable role under defensive coordinator Raheem Morris. He played another 318 snaps on special teams. Rozeboom intercepted Josh Dobbs in the team’s first game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams have Jake Hummel on the roster still, who could potentially step in as a complementary player to Jones if Rozeboom doesn’t end up returning. Hummel is a stronger coverage player than Rozeboom and possibly Jones as well. Hummel played 45 defensive snaps in 2023.
The Rams other restricted free agents are Alaric Jackson, Michael Hoecht, Tyler Johnson, and Jonah Williams. Ronnie Rivers and Austin Trammell are exclusive rights free agents, of which the team has already announced that Rivers will receive his designated tender. Exclusive rights free agents have two or fewer accrued seasons and restricted free agents have less than four.
There are three levels of the restricted free agent tender. The highest level is a first round tender that would pay the player $6.8M. If said player receives an offer sheet and the original team declines to match, they receive an original first round pick from the new team. The second round tender operates similarly and pays the player $4.9M. The original round tender is for players drafted between the third and seventh rounds or went completely undrafted; however, teams would recover no draft compensation if they decline to match an offer sheet for a former UDFA like Rozeboom, Jackson, Williams, and Hoecht. Exclusive rights free agents cannot negotiate with other teams.
We await decisions from the Rams on Jackson, Hoecht, Williams, Johnson, and Trammell.
