The Los Angeles Rams knew they were going to have a difficult offseason. They had relative cap troubles and a host of talented free agents on both sides of the ball, meaning they were going to have to prioritize some players over others.
They chose to hang on to Leonard Floyd, who was one of the key contributors to the Rams staunch 2020 defense. After letting John Johnson III, Troy Hill, Samson Ebukam, Michael Brockers, Gerald Everett and some others walk, they gave Floyd a four-year deal worth potentially $64 million. At 28 years of age, this is the first time Floyd has truly cashed in on his talent.
The work won’t stop here for Floyd, though, as he has high aspirations for himself getting to line up alongside some other incredible players, according to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I definitely want to keep adding to my game,” Floyd said during a video conference with reporters Thursday afternoon. “I want to make the All-Pro team and things like that. So more work to be done, more stuff to put in the lab, and I’m looking forward to doing that.”
Beyond just personal goals, Floyd also wants to recreate the team success from 2020 on the defensive side and is excited to continue playing alongside other superstars in Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey:
“I wanted to play with AD and Jalen Ramsey,” Floyd said. “I wanted to run it back. We were the best defense in the league last year. I wanted to stick around with the same players and try to do it again.”
While the Rams will not have some of their key contributors from 2020 on defense, they still have some incredible talent at all phases. Pair that with some new draft picks and the Rams could absolutely be a top defense once again.
Going into the offseason, many assumed that Floyd would be one of the team’s cap casualties the way Dante Fowler Jr. was the year before. However, the Rams have put their faith in him, and he appears ready for the challenge ahead.
Les Snead calls Floyd a “special athlete”
One of the things that likely made Floyd a priority in the Rams front office is general manager Les Snead. After the signing, Snead gave high praise to Floyd, calling him a special athlete. It’s clear that the Rams general manager really wanted to make sure they kept him around for the long term.
