Will Rams' Kevin Dotson Be Too Expensive to Retain?

Since joining the Rams back in 2023, Kevin Dotson has completely rewritten his career, following his departure from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Despite enjoying massive financial benefits as a veteran player, it has actually been the Rams who have profited off Dotson's signing, as he has been a source of strength, consistency, and sheer power on the Rams offensive line.

Dotson was the only player to start for the Rams' offensive line from week one till week 17, enjoying week 18 off as the Rams had already wrapped up the division.

However, the guard market, especially the veteran guard market continues to reset as it did with Chicago Bears' Joe Thuney, according to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.

"The Joe Thuney extension is done! And good for him,' wrote Breer. "The new Bears guard, now 32, has one of the most amazing statistical lines that no one ever talks about—over nine years, he’s never played fewer than 97% of his team’s offensive snaps in a season. Starting in 2016, he’s gone 100%, 100%, 100%, 99%, 97%, 99%, 98%, 97%, and 97% of the snaps, while missing just two games. That’s beyond staggering."

Anyway, I figured we could get a quick appreciation for that in here. His deal with the Bears is a good one. He had $16 million left. The two-year extension is for $35 million in new money, bringing his three-year total to $51 million, with $33.5 million fully guaranteed. That $33.5 million is the first two years of the deal, with the team holding a de facto option for 2027 on him at $17.5 million.

Like Thuney's old deal stemming from Kansas City, Dotson's average annual value is $16 million per season. However, Dotson's deal is set to expire after the 2026 season. While that's good as Matthew Stafford's cap hit comes off the books at the same time, Steve Avila would likely be entering the second year of his extension should he receive one, and it's doubtful the Rams would want to pay both men eight figures per year.

Along with that, the Rams still need to extend their entire defensive line and Puka Nacua. With Willie Lampkin waiting, it's time to ask, if Lampkin does a good enough job, will Dotson be too expensive to keep?

That's a question for the Rams front office but in that same breath, Dotson helped accelerate a rebuild from a few years to less than one.

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