With the stellar 2017 NFL season officially in the books, the Los Angeles Rams now have some big decisions to make this offseason. One of the most notable storylines will be whether or not the Rams and wide receiver Samy Watkins can agree to a long-term deal.
Both sides have reciprocated their desire to reach a new contract. According to Alex Marvez of Sporting News, general manager Les Snead has already been in contact with Watkins’ agent and discussions are set to begin in February:
“We’ve chatted with his agent and told him we were coming back in early February and really discuss the intricacies of our plan,” Snead said. “I know this – going from 32nd to first in offense Sammy was a big part of it down the stretch.
“A goal of ours is to keep that (wide receiver) group together because a lot of our weapons are 25 and under.”
Los Angeles made a splash last summer by trading for Watkins prior to the season. Unfortunately, he had some trouble getting acclimated to the high-powered offense of the Rams. As a result, he wound up only recording 39 receptions for 593 yards and eight touchdowns.
Regardless, the Rams and Watkins have still been adamant about wanting to reach a deal. However, the dynamic wideout is likely going to ask for top-tier money moving forward, which means Los Angeles may need to do what they can to clear up as much cap space as possible to make it happen.
