St. Louis Rams May Cut Former Top Pick Jason Smith
The NFL is a cutthroat business and if you fail to perform up to expectations, lifelong dreams can disappear in an instant. It appears that this reality is closing in on former number two overall pick with the St. Louis Rams in offensive tackle Jason Smith.
The offensive line has been a huge issue for the Rams and clearly not all of that falls onto the shoulders of Smith, but the team only has so much money available and he will be owed $10 million for the 2012 season. His deal was signed prior to the league’s overhaul of the rookie salary scale which pigeon-holed the Rams into a difficult contract for the long-term health of the franchise should he not pan out.
Smith’s career thus far has been marred by injuries with half of his 2011 campaign being cut short due to a concussion. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports that should the former top draft pick not consent to taking an extreme pay cut in 2012, the Rams may choose to just cut him. His base salary would count just $1 million against the salary cap which is miniscule in comparison to the $10 million he is scheduled to earn for the year.
With another number two overall pick awaiting the Rams this April in the NFL Draft, it appears the team may be looking in the direction of yet another top tier offensive lineman given this news. A player like USC’s Matt Kalil would make a lot of sense with the second selection, but it’s too early to tell if that is exactly what the team is thinking.
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