Seeing a clear need at outside linebacker, the Los Angeles Rams didn’t want to enter free agency and get in a bidding war with teams for pass rushers. Instead of waiting, they signed Dante Fowler Jr. to a one-year deal late on Sunday night, keeping him around for another season.
The contract was reported as being worth $14 million, which surprised a lot of people. Many believed they overpaid for an unproven pass rusher, but details beyond that single figure weren’t released. Now that they have emerged, it changes things slightly, but not drastically. According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, it includes $12 million guaranteed with $2 million in incentives.
Fowler is coming off a season in which he had four sacks, two of which came with the Rams. He did add 1.5 sacks and four tackles for loss in three playoff games, so he finished on a high note. He has immense potential, but it certainly hasn’t been realized yet.
The Rams are still betting a significant amount of money on a player with 16 career sacks in three seasons. Pass rushers are some of the highest-paid in the NFL next to quarterbacks and left tackles, as evidenced by inflating contracts each year. After seeing Trey Flowers earn between $16-17 million per year from the Lions, Fowler’s $14 million contract hardly felt like a steal.
What this one-year deal does is protect the Rams from making a long-term mistake. Rather than giving him a five-year deal worth more than $50 million-plus, Los Angeles is protecting itself by limiting the contract to one year.
And it may not seem like much, but the $2 million in incentives definitely make the contract feel more reasonable.
If Fowler doesn’t pan out and has another disappointing season, the Rams can move on after paying a maximum of $14 million. If they wind up paying out the full value of Fowler’s deal, of course, it’ll likely be because he had a great season.
So at most, they’ll pay him $14 million for a strong 2019 season. At worst, he’ll get $12 million for a sub-par year. That’s a whole lot more reasonable than paying him significantly more for multiple years. Fowler now has a chance to prove himself after a slow start to his career, earning a minimum of $12 million in 2019.
This seems like a good deal for both sides, extending their relationship by one more year
