Rodger Saffold played the first nine years of his NFL career with the Rams, starting games at every offensive line position except center. He hit free agency last offseason and the Titans signed him to a four-year, $44 million deal that was presumably too rich for the Rams’ taste.
As it turns out, Los Angeles didn’t even try to re-sign Saffold when his contract expired last March. According to Peter Schrager of NFL Network, the Rams didn’t make an offer to Saffold last offseason.
To make matters worse, Schrager says all Saffold wanted was to be a Ram for life.
Saffold was one of the longest-tenured players on the team and not only was he a leader in the locker room, but he was one of the most important players on offense. Next to Andrew Whitworth, Saffold was a road-grading left guard who was also good in pass protection.
Losing him was a significant blow to the offense and his departure is part of the reason Jared Goff and Todd Gurley regressed in 2019.
The Rams didn’t have a ton of money to spend and also lost Lamarcus Joyner in free agency, but the reported lack of effort to keep Saffold is shocking, to say the least.
The good news for Saffold is A) he got paid, and B) he’s one win away from playing in his second consecutive Super Bowl.
