Alaric Jackson's Extension Could be Cheaper Than Previously Believed

Alaric Jackson is set to be a free agent this offseason, and while the team has yet to make their intentions public, it is universally believed the team will make an extended effort to retain the man they spent the last four years developing.

The Rams may not have to pay Jackson as much as previously believed. While most left tackle extension negotiations do not begin under 80 million over the lifespan of the contract, Jackson and the Rams potential agreement could become a steal for the franchise.

"A UDFA out of Iowa, Jackson finished off 2024 on a $4.9M restricted tender, setting up what should prove to be a nice pay raise in his first trip to the open market. The 26-year-old projected toward a three year, $48M contract in our system." Writes Spotrac's Michael Ginnitti.

While three years will probably be the length of Jackson's contract, an AAV of 16 million a season feels a bit low. Tristan Wirfs did reset the market last offseason with a five-year, 140 million dollar deal that pays out 28 million a season but Jackson should not be expecting those types of numbers.

He does play a premium position and players like him rarely hit the market so that will drive up his price but the Rams should be able to retain him at a rate between 18-22 million a season. Currently, the Rams have 40 million in cap space which could balloon up to over 55 million, depending on what the team does with Cooper Kupp and Jonah Jackson.

Let's say Jackson gets a three-year, 60 million dollar deal. His cap hit on the first year would not be 20 million. The Rams would backload the deal so his hit will be less. Let's say for arguments sake, it's 12 million.

At 55 million of cap space, subtract 12 million for Jackson and another 12 for the Rams rookie draft class, that's 31 million the Rams have to play with. That's enough to grab a quality linebacker, a quality receiver, and some veteran pieces to fill out the rest of the roster. Jackson's deal will be the key to winning a Super Bowl and things look good for Los Angeles.