Rams Not Expected To Franchise OL Rodger Saffold

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentions that re-signing OL Rodger Saffold. figures to be the Rams top priority this offseason. However, Thomas does not see the Rams using either the franchise tag or the transition tag to prevent him from leaving St. Louis.

“It would be extremely surprising to see the Rams place a franchise or transition tag on Saffold as a one-year stop-gap measure,” writes Thomas, “Last year, the franchise tag was $9.8 million and the transition tag $8.7 million for an offensive lineman. That’s a ton of money.”

Saffold, 25, played left tackle for the Rams during his first few years in the league, but wound up playing numerous offensive line positions after the signed Jake Long in free agency.

HC Jeff Fisher praised Saffold’s ability and referred to him as one of the best offensive lineman in the league, when healthy.

“Rodger’s a tremendous athlete, and when healthy you could put him up there with some of the best in the league,” Fisher said. “You would like to think his future’s probably at right guard. Or even left guard for that matter. But he plays the tackle position very well.”

Saffold’s versatility could help him in free agency, but the fact that he has played guard could limit the contracts he receives on the open market.

We have Saffold currently listed as the No. 66 free agent in our Top 100 Free Agents List.