Despite re-signing Dante Fowler Jr. and having Samson Ebukam still on the roster, the Los Angeles Rams were seeking help at edge rusher. They simply didn’t get enough pressure from their outside linebackers in 2018, which led them to Clay Matthews.
The Rams signed Matthews to a two-year deal this week, bringing him back home to Los Angeles. The contract was originally reported as being worth up to $16.75 million, which seemed like a significant chunk of change for a pass rusher nearing the end of his career.
However, the details of the contract weren’t immediately released. Now that they have been reported by Field Yates of ESPN, it looks far more team-friendly than first thought.
According to Yates, the base value is just $9.25 million with only $5.5 million guaranteed.
As Adam Schefter suggested on ESPN, that’s a very affordable contract for the Rams, who don’t have an abundance of cap space remaining. Essentially, the Rams can get out of the deal after one season, paying Matthews just $5.5 million guaranteed.
For a player who’s seen his production fall off a bit and missed time due to injury, building incentives into the deal was a wise move for the Rams. It protects them from paying him a significant amount of money for little impact next season.
Matthews likely won’t be a full-time pass rusher for the Rams, playing both inside and outside linebacker. He said he expects his role “to be fluid,” contributing at multiple positions depending on the personnel grouping and game situation.
For a base salary of just over $4.6 million per year for the next two seasons, Matthews is worth the low-risk investment for the Rams. He provides depth at inside linebacker with Mark Barron gone, while also giving Wade Phillips another pass rusher in the rotation.
This marks the third bargain contract the Rams have given out the past two weeks, signing Eric Weddle to a two-year deal worth $10.5 million and Blake Bortles to a one-year contract for just $1 million. Dante Fowler Jr.’s $14 million deal is hardly a bargain, but the Rams like the potential he brings as a pass rusher, and $2 million of his contract is incentive-based.
