The Rams were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday night, losing 31–27 to the Seahawks in the NFC championship game as their Super Bowl hopes slipped away. Like a majority of teams at this juncture, Los Angeles will now turn its attention to the 2026 season—and in doing so, must evaluate its roster and determine which players will (and won’t) be part of the team moving forward.
We’re going to take a look at the Rams’ key free agents, potential contract casualties, and both trade and retirement candidates heading into next year. But before we get into it, here’s a brief explainer on the different types of NFL free agents:
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Unrestricted free agent: Any player with four or more accrued seasons and an expired contract. They are free to negotiate and sign with any team.
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Restricted free agent: A player with three accrued seasons and an expired contract. RFAs are free to negotiate and sign with any team, but their original team can offer them a qualifying offer—a.k.a. tenders—that come with the Right of First Refusal and/or draft-pick compensation. If the tender is withdrawn by a team, the RFA becomes an unrestricted free agent.
- Exclusive rights free agent: Any player with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If his original team offers him a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams.
Rams 2026 Free Agents
Los Angeles will have plenty of decisions to make this offseason as it has a whopping 18 players on expiring contracts. The list is headlined by wide receiver Tutu Atwell, safety Kamren Curl, and backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Unrestricted free agents:
- WR Tutu Atwell
- S Kamren Curl
- CB Cobie Durant
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo
- LT D.J. Humphries
- CB Derion Kendrick
- CB Roger McCreary
- LS Jake McQuaide
- RT David Quessenberry
- LB Troy Reeder
- RB Ronnie Rivers
- TE Nick Vannett
- CB Ahkello Witherspoon
Restricted free agents:
- ED Keir Thomas
Exclusive rights free agents:
- C Justin Dedich
- K Joshua Karty
- K Harrison Mevis
- WR Xavier Smith
Potential Contract Casualties
On top of their pending free agents, the Rams could also look to release players carrying large cap hits heading into 2026. Here’s a look at potential cut candidates based on what they're set to be owed next season (via OverTheCap):
- WR Davante Adams ($24 million)
- TE Colby Parkinson ($7 million)
- CB Darious Williams ($7.5 million)
Retirement Candidates
With every NFL offseason comes the end of several careers, as players decide to hang up their cleats instead of lacing them up for one more go. For the Rams, specifically, there are a number of candidates who are approaching their mid-to-late-30s who may decide to call it a career ahead of next season. Here's a look.
- WR Davante Adams (age 33)
- OT Rob Havenstein (age 33)
- OL David Quessenberry (age 35)
- QB Matthew Stafford (age 37)
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Full List of Rams’ 2026 Free Agents, Potential Contract Casualties, Retirement Candidates.
