The Rams Can Not Afford to Let Quentin Lake Go

Let's not mince words here, nothing is guaranteed but Lake likely has at least three future homes lined up for him if he doesn't get extended.

The first home is wherever Chris Shula becomes a head coach at. Lake is Shula's defensive captain, he understands the system, he's the signal caller and it would be like bringing another coach with Shula that Shula can deploy on the field.

The next home is the Atlanta Falcons. Raheem Morris is stacking his squad with former Rams such as Leonard Floyd, Morgan Fox, and Jordan Fuller. Rookie Billy Bowman Jr from Oklahoma is set to be the team's nickelback but with Kirk Cousin's contract expected to be off the books next season (with a massive cap hit) as well as Morris' love of having three roaming safeties, Lake fills a lot of holes, providing extra maturity on a young defense.

The other option is wherever Rams' assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant goes next. While Pleasant may inherit Shula's job if he departs, Pleasant may want to find another defensive coordinator job anyway as he was interviewed for the position by other franchises during the 2025 offseason hiring cycle.

So Lake's going to get paid. As long as he stays healthy, it's virtually guarenteed. However its the Rams that need to pay him and they need to pay him now. He's in a contract year and with every passing day, that price tag goes up.

Obviously the Rams need to be cautious about their cap situation, especially if the team is indeed looking to bring in Jalen Ramsey but Lake has proven himself as a player, often taking on the premier pass catching threats on opposing offenses, blitzing with devastating effect, and there is a clear correlation between the Rams' defensive success and him being signal caller.

The man was bred for football. His father, legendary defensive back Carnell Lake was whacking receivers in the 90s, back when you could actually hit a player with no concerns over fines. Now, the elder Lake is mentoring Quentin, who is now laying the boom at every level of the football field.

"The thing for me is, and this is something that my dad always told me, your play on the field in between the white lines will take care of everything else outside," Lake said. "So, that's all I'm focused on right now. Obviously, we have a good team. There's a lot of things that can happen. But I'm just making sure I make this the best year. Had a lot of progression going from Year 2 to Year 3, and that's the same thing I want to do from Year 3 to Year 4."

Lake is focused on this season but the Rams shouldn't put him in a place where he has to make a business decision. Pay the man and reap the rewards of having a captain that leads by example.