The Los Angeles Rams made a splash with the signing of Clay Matthews and it appears they may have gotten him at a bargain price.
Matthews had finally hit free agency following an illustrious career with the Green Bay Packers. Although his numbers had dwindled in recent years, there was still plenty of interest in the 32-year-old edge rusher.
Los Angeles was hoping to fill some of the voids in their linebacker corps this offseason. It seems Matthews was more than willing to oblige.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter says the Rams got him on a team-friendly deal due to his desire to play for them, via Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire:
Clay Matthews’ deal with the Rams is “very team-friendly.”
“I know the numbers were reported to be high, but it’s a very modest deal for Clay Matthews because he wanted to be in LA so badly.”
Matthews’ desire to play for the Rams is certainly understandable. He will have an opportunity to play at his old stomping grounds at the Los Angeles Coliseum while competing with a legitimate championship contender.
This is certainly encouraging news for the Rams. Although they have a number of voids to fill on defense, they do not have much room in the salary cap to make much of an impact this offseason.
As a result, it appears Los Angeles is hoping to get some bang for their buck moving forward. Matthews could potentially do just that if he can etch out an integral role on defense in the 2019 NFL season.
Matthews is coming off a bit off a disappointing 2018 campaign after registering 43 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Regardless, his experience and championship pedigree should still pay huge dividends for the Rams down the line.
Follow @RamsNationCom on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram