Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Dispatch mentions that he heard earlier in the offseason that the Rams could place their transition tag on CB Trumaine Johnson if they’re unable to get long-term deal done in the coming weeks.
In case you’re unfamiliar, the transition tag gives the team the right of first refusal to match an offer the player receives from a team during free agency.
The transition tag would run the Rams close to $11.7 million for the 2016 season.
Johnson is one of two Rams cornerbacks in line to be a free agent in the coming weeks along with Janoris Jenkins, so it’s going to be costly for them to retain both players.
However, the Rams addressed their cap situation on Friday when they cut DE Chris Long, LB James Laurinaitis, and TE Jared Cook. Los Angeles now is among the teams with the most cap space to work with at nearly $60 million.
Johnson, 26, is a former third-round pick of the Rams back in 2012. He’s played out his rookie contract and is now in position to be one of the best available cornerbacks in this year’s free agent class.
In 2015, Johnson appeared in 14 games and recorded 71 tackles, seven interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown, a fumble recovery and 17 pass defenses. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 19 cornerback out of 111 qualifying players.
We have him featured in our Top 100 – 2016 Free Agents list.
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