Who Was the Rams' Best Signing This Offseason?

Davante Adams will score more touchdowns and get more headlines, but left tackle Alaric Jackson is most likely the more important personnel move the Rams made this week in free agency. According to Ian Valentino of The 33rd Team, Adams (No. 9) and Jackson (No. 5) are two of the nine best early signings across the NFL.

“Alaric Jackson should've gotten overpaid by someone other than his incumbent team” Valentino wrote Friday. “Instead of chasing the biggest check, the Rams were able to bring Jackson back on an incredibly favorable deal. Jackson, turning 27 this summer, is coming off his best season yet and produced a top-20 overall pass-blocking efficiency rate between both tackle spots.”

A 6-7, 345-pound veteran out of Iowa, Jackson signed as a non-drafted free agent and played on the Rams’ Super Bowl title team as a 2021 rookie, then cracked the starting lineup as a guard in 2022. However, after shifting to start two games at left tackle midway through that campaign, blood clots in his leg landed him on season-ending injured reserve.

He rebounded in 2023 to start 15 games at left tackle, protecting Matthew Stafford as the Rams won the NFC West and advanced to the playoffs, where they nearly upset the Lions. After returning from a two-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy in 2024, he started 14 games, battling through chest and knee injuries to start both playoff games.

“While he's not elite,” Valentino wrote, “the desperation for impact starting left tackles is at an all-time high. Given what teams spent on inferior guards and average tackles elsewhere, Jackson could've demanded $25 million a year and had interest.”

Plenty of teams had interest in Adams, released by the Jets after they acquired him at the trade deadline from the Raiders. Adams may have been tipped off by his lead international recruiter, McVay, that the team was planning to re-sign Jackson. Stafford would have his blindside protector back in place, something attractive to a six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver looking to win his first Super Bowl.

Valentino said the Rams made a calculated bet that Adams will age gracefully.

“Now 32, Adams was still an explosive threat last year despite dealing with subpar quarterback play in Las Vegas and New York” Valentino said. “He's no longer a threat to hit 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns in one season, but pairing him with Puka Nacua in a well-designed offense is the right recipe for him to ball out in the next two seasons. The Rams also limited their risk by only giving him a two-year deal at a fair market price.”