The Rams Continue to Lose Free Agency After Giving 3-Year Deal to 38-Year-Old Andrew Whitworth

The NFC West got even tougher than it was last season. The San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks maintain the top spots in the division, while the Arizona Cardinals improved after acquiring star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans for literally nothing.

Things were looking bleak for the Los Angeles Rams, who have no cap space or draft capital due to the signing of quarterback Jared Goff and trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Instead of trying to free up some money, the team opted to re-sign 38-year-old left tackle Andrew Whitworth to a three-year contract.

Way to lose free agency, Rams.

Before signing Whitworth, the Rams had a measly $15 million in cap space. As mentioned earlier, the majority of Los Angeles' salary is dedicated to Goff, Ramsey, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald, and Brandin Cooks. Now, they're in bigger cap hell by giving Whitworth a $30 million contract.

While yes, Whitworth solidified his status as one of the best offensive tackles in the game, he's getting older and regressing by the year. Unless his contract gives the Rams an out after the first year, why are they making this move?

The Rams have no first-round draft picks for the next two years, which means they can't get a rookie difference maker on the cheap. Instead, they have to go bargain bin hunting for the next couple of years for players that are far less talented. Oh, and they have to lock in Ramsey on an expensive contract to justify surrendering those aforementioned draft picks.

Locking in Whitworth pretty much guaranteed that the Rams will finish at the bottom of the NFC West, and it's all their fault with the terrible contracts they've handed out these past couple of years.