The Los Angeles Rams made it clear that they were not letting up in their pursuit of a Super Bowl after pulling the trigger on a blockbuster deal for former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to begin the offseason.
Of course, there were still plenty of questions regarding the potential turnover to their roster with so many key players set to hit free agency. To make matters worse, they found themselves in the worst cap situation of any team leading up to the new league year.
Regardless, general manager Les Snead was optimistic that they would be able to get back under the salary cap while retaining key players. It appears he had some help from veteran players that have prioritized winning a championship at this stage of their careers.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, left tackle Andrew Whitworth was among those that helped out the front office by restructuring his contract and taking a pay cut:
The Rams ended up restructuring at least five veteran contracts — including a pay reduction for left tackle Andrew Whitworth — to get under the cap before free agency, according to Roster Management.
Whitworth’s salary drops from $7 million to $4 million, which is fully guaranteed.
There had already been plenty of speculation regarding Whitworth’s future leading up to the 2021 NFL season. Although both sides expressed mutual interest in keeping it going for another year, it remained to be seen just how the Rams planned to go about clearing up cap space.
Although Whitworth was initially carrying an $11.2 million cap hit for the upcoming season, that number will now be lower after restructuring his deal. It also solidifies that the 39-year-old will be returning for another opportunity to compete for a championship.
Whitworth has served as the foundation of this offensive line since his arrival back in 2017 and was even playing some of his best ball during the 2020 campaign up until he suffered a torn MCL in Week 10. Fortunately, he managed to return by the time the postseason began showing that Father Time has not gotten the best of him just yet.
The new deal indicates that Whitworth is now slated to provide plenty of bang for his buck next season as the safety net of this new-look offense led by Stafford under center. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see which other players are revealed to have played their part in order to keep this championship window open.
