Today is the deadline for signing franchise players to long-term deals. According to Albert Breer of Sporting News, it’s also the day on which one of the franchise players will sign his one-year contract.
Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, per Breer, will accept his one-year contract today, triggering a one-year guaranteed salary of $6.342 million.
Though it might be a coincidence, there’s a chance that signing the tender is a precursor to a multi-year deal, possibly with a new team to which Atogwe would be traded.
If that’s the case, the next domino needs to fall within the next few hours. As of 4:00 p.m. EDT, Atogwe and the Rams will be stuck with a one-year relationship.
It’s unclear whether a trade after July 15 would permit Atogwe to sign a long-term deal with his new team. We’ve recently learned that the July 15 deadline does not apply to players traded before the last day for signing franchise players to long-term deals. But when the Bears were talking to the 49ers a few years ago regarding a possible in-season trade of franchised linebacker Lance Briggs, the Niners determined that Briggs could not be signed to a multi-year contract.