Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Saints were believed to be willing to trade a second-round pick for Rams franchise CB Trumaine Johnson earlier this month.
However, the issue was that Johnson was unwilling to agree to a long-term contract with the Saints because he wanted to badly remain in Los Angeles, according to Schefter.
The Rams have recently said that they’re no longer looking to trade Johnson right now and may instead discuss a long-term extension with him this summer.
Schefter mentions that it’s worth watching whether a team makes another attempt to acquire Johnson from the Rams, even though he may be reluctant to sign a long-term extension with them.
Johnson officially signed his franchise tender worth around $16.8 million fully guaranteed for the 2017 season. Although, this won’t prevent them from negotiating a long-term contract before the July deadline or trading him to another team.
Because Johnson receives a 20 percent increase on top of the franchise tag figure, he’s now the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL.
Johnson, 27, is a former third-round pick of the Rams back in 2012. He played out his rookie contract with the Rams before being franchised back in February and made $13.952 million fully guaranteed under the tag.
According to OverTheCap.com, trading Johnson would free up $16.8 million of available cap space while creating no dead money.
In 2016, Johnson appeared in 14 games for the Rams and recorded 58 total tackles, one interception, one fumble recovery, and 12 pass defenses. Pro Football Focus rated him as the No. 28 overall cornerback out of 120 qualifying players.
We’ll have more regarding a new deal for Johnson as the news is available.
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