NFL free agency is set to get underway on Monday, and one of the teams that is expected to be active is the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams don’t have a ton of cap space at their disposal, although that can change with some contract restructures. Whatever resources they have will likely go into retaining players that helped bring a championship to L.A., and there are a number of key free agents worth re-signing.
Among them are Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr., who are believed to be among the Rams’ top priorities. Another under-the-radar name that should be a priority is offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom, who has filled in for Andrew Whitworth and other injured players in the past and played exceptionally well.
It appears that Noteboom was indeed a priority as it was announced by his agency Apex Sports Group that he has re-signed with the Rams right at that start of free agency:
And Joe NoteBOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE 🧨- congrats to @jnoteboom70 on re-signing with the @RamsNFL pic.twitter.com/8x0oNUtrJy
— Apex Sports Group (@ApexSportsGroup) March 14, 2022
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, it’s a three-year deal for Noteboom and a lucrative one at that:
The #Rams are keeping OT Joe Noteboom on a three-year deal with a base value of $40M that includes $25M guaranteed, sources say. Max value: $47.5 million. Huge deal for Noteboom, who has played LT when Andrew Whitworth is out. https://t.co/kaCV5VMT9W
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2022
Whitworth has still not announced if he will be retiring or returning to the Rams for one more season, although all indications have pointed towards retirement for the 30-year-old.
This is another indication as the Rams gave Noteboom starter money, so he will be the natural replacement for Whitworth at left tackle if he does retire.
Now that the Rams have locked up Noteboom, they can shift their focus to other areas of the roster as free agency continues.
