After the Rams released linebacker James Laurinaitis last week, the veteran said he was surprised by the team’s decision because they asked him to be part of the marketing push they’re planning ahead of their move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.
Laurinaitis said he thought that the team might want to talk about a pay cut, but said during a visit with Mike Florio on Monday’s PFT Live that the team never brought that up before dropping the axe. Laurinaitis said that money never came up as a reason for the move, which he thinks stems from coach Jeff Fisher’s desire to move Alec Ogletree into Laurinaitis’ former spot.
“It was just strictly, I think, coach Fisher wants to move Ogletree to the Mike LB position and they probably want to make a strong push for [impending free agent Mark] Barron to come back,” Laurinaitis said.
Laurinaitis said he’s excited to be a free agent for the first time in his career and that the “phone’s ringing,” although he didn’t delve into any details about which teams might be interested in bringing him to their defense. He expects to have a better idea on that front after agent Tom Condon talks to teams at this week’s combine and shared what he’s looking for in his next team.
“I want to play for a team that’s going to have a chance at the playoffs right away, a chance at the trophy,” Laurinaitis said. “That’s kind of the mindset going forward.”
Laurinaitis also discussed his thoughts on whether the Rams are a team with a chance at the playoffs right away and whether he’s sorry to miss out on the move to L.A. in the full interview, which you can watch right here.