The Rams took care of an important piece of offseason business once they inked MVP-winning quarterback Matthew Stafford to a contract extension last week. With that out of the best way, Rams general manager Les Snead can turn his attention to other extension candidates because the summer approaches.
The Rams have a slew of outstanding players entering contract years. The list includes (but isn’t limited to) wide receivers Puka Nacua and Davante Adams; outside linebacker Byron Young; defensive lineman Kobie Turner; guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson; and right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. Snead will prioritize a few of those players before others. Nacua, Young and Turner appear to have the very best long-term earning power of the group. The 26-year-old Avila is also amongst those to money in on a lucrative deal, and he has made it clear he desires to stick to the organization.
“I feel like everybody that’s up for extension is hoping to get one,” Avila said (via Nate Atkins of The Athletic). “That’s definitely something I wish could occur. I try my best to remain the identical each yr. I do know for me, I’ve all the time improved each yr I’ve played football. I feel like I owe all of it to the team to be the perfect version of myself.”
The Rams spent the thirty sixth overall pick within the 2023 draft on Avila, a former TCU standout who primarily played center in his first couple of school seasons. He shifted to left guard in 2022, a 15-start campaign during which he earned consensus All-America honors. Avila carried his effectiveness into the NFL, where he began all 17 games as a rookie left guard and was the lone member of the Rams’ offense to play every snap (1,148 in total).
So far, Avila’s first season has been the one full one in all his profession. After missing seven games with a sprained MCL in his second yr, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1 last season. The injury sidelined him for 2 games, though it could as well have been 4. Avila was lively in Weeks 4 and 5, however the Rams deployed Justin Dedich as their starter in those games. They permanently turned back to Avila the following week. He took only one penalty and yielded just one sack over 13 starts, in response to Pro Football Focus, which rated his performance tenth amongst 79 qualified guards.
Back in February, head coach Sean McVay specifically named Avila as one in all the “guys we’ve got strong interest in continuing our journey with” (via Stu Jackson of the team’s website). That means an extension could come along with Avila, who’s a legitimate starter with age on his side. The team also has a choice to make on Dotson as he enters the last season of a three-year, $48MM pact, but he’ll turn 31 in September 2027.
If the Rams are only going to pay one member of their guard tandem, Avila’s relative youth could tip the size in his favor. The typical annual value of Avila’s second contract should no less than find yourself within the neighborhood of Dotson’s current deal. Dotson is one in all 4 guards raking in between $14MM and $17MM per season on a multiyear arrangement. There are a dozen other guards making between $17.5MM and $24.5MM every year. With the cap continuing to rise, perhaps Avila’s camp will push to hitch that group.