Now that the franchise-tag deadline has come and gone and the LA Rams have declined to place the franchise tag on any player, their decision makes safety John Johnston III not only a free agent but very likely a very wealthy player next season.
There will be no shortage of teams soon lining up to secure the services of the secret back-end weapon of the Rams, perhaps as many as 15 teams vying to sign him. And Johnson will be signing a max contract with one of them.
Ka-Ching.
It’s more than that he’s a superbly talented and highly coveted safety, but any future NFL suitor will be catching him at the very crest of his career trajectory, at his prime-time peak, and coming off a rookie contract.