FREE AGENCY THREAD (and Potential Trade Bait)

The Los Angeles Rams have allowed offensive guard Jonah Jackson to seek a trade, less than a year after he signed a three-year, $51 million contract. The move will alleviate some cap issues for Los Angeles, but ultimately it will mean the team will need to re-fix the offensive line.

A trade may be hard to come by considering how poorly Jackson played in 2024. He played in just four games this past season while dealing with injuries, but was good enough in previous seasons to earn a big contract. Even still, ESPN's Ben Solak believes there is a market for Jackson. Solak writes the Rams would likely only get a late-round pick back for the veteran guard.

Solak writes that the "perfect trade outcome" for Jackson is a deal to the New England Patriots. In this scenario, the Rams sent Jackson and 2026 seventh-round pick to the Patriots for New England's 2026 sixth-round pick. Not a lot, but better than nothing.




The Rams will almost certainly cut Jackson if they cannot find a trade partner for him; they have no reason to keep a player with an enormous cap hit when they can simply release him before his roster bonus kicks in," Solak writes. "An acquiring team — which, again, will pay Jackson $17.5 million this season — probably would have to spend very little to get a trade done. I'm talking Day 3 pick swaps.

The best possible trade for Jackson is the Patriots sending a sixth to get Jackson and a seventh. That small of a fiscal transaction is the only way I can think of a deal actually getting done. Of course, the Patriots don't have a sixth, so call it a future swap instead."
It makes sense that, at this point, the Rams would only be looking to recoup some cap flexibility in a trade. A sixth-for-seventh swap isn't ideal, but the Rams scouting department has proven to find quality players that late in the draft, anyway.

The Jackson deal was a mistake given how 2024 unfolded, but at least general manager Les Snead appears interested in remedying the situation. It remains to be seen, though, if there is a market for the veteran at all.
 
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