Rams General Manager Les Snead conceded that they are about to make defensive tackle Aaron Donald the highest paid defensive player in league history.
With that in mind, the Rams appear to be checking the couch cushions for whatever change they can find.
According to Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Rams restructured the contract of punter Johnny Hekker. The move converted $1.21 million of Hekker’s 2018 base salary to a signing bonus paid immediately. It saves the team $968,000 in cap space this season while pushing an additional $242,000 in cap commitments to each of the next four seasons of his deal.
The Rams currently have the least amount of salary cap space of any team in the league, according to NFLPA numbers. The team will have to find the space needed to accommodate Donald’s impending deal, though the year one cap hit could potentially be pretty negligible depending on how the contract is structured. Hekker’s contract restructure is one way for the Rams to get the space needed so they can take care of the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.