The Los Angeles Rams enter the 2026 season with the understanding that this might be the best roster the franchise has put together in recent memory and that there's a strong likelihood that multiple departures will take place after this season. That's because there's a plethora of contracts set to expire, with a number of players seeking deserved pay raises.
One of the biggest decisions will be how the team addresses its offensive line. With four out of the five projected starters for the Rams set to hit free agency, there's no clear indicator of how the team will deal with the situation. What we do know is that, considering the Atlanta Falcons handed guard Matthew Bergeron a record-tying extension after giving up just one sack last season,
it's highly unlikely the team will be able to afford to keep both Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson.
Bergeron carries an average annual value of $24 million, tying Tyler Smith's mark for the Dallas Cowboys. Dotson already has an AAV of $16 million. Avila is still on his rookie deal. Even if the Rams were to keep Dotson at his current rate, while keeping Avila below $10 million – a near-impossible scenario – that would push their combined AAV above $30 million.
According to Spotrac.com, the Rams have $76.3 million in cap space for 2027. With Puka Nacua, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and others waiting on their deals, Bergeron's extension has propped up the guard market to the point where keeping both Avila and Dotson is financially unsustainable without enduring a loss of a star.
Nacua and Young are projected to have a combined AAV of $67 million alone. Unless the team has unknown plans to manipulate cap numbers through creative accounting, this appears to be the final season of Avila and Dotson dominating in the trenches.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Falcons guard's contract shows Rams will struggle to keep Avila and Dotson
