The Rams will allow Sammy Watkins to become a free agent after they chose to use their franchise tag on defensive back Lamarcus Joyner, but that does not necessarily mean Watkins has played his last snap for Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that Watkins expects teams to show plenty of interest in him on the open market, but he would not be opposed to returning to the Rams.
WR Sammy Watkins is open to returning to the LA #Rams but also anticipates a very strong market, a source said. We will see what happens.
— Josina Anderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 6, 2018
At this point, it seems somewhat unlikely that the Rams will be willing to give Watkins the type of money he can get elsewhere. He’s only 24 and showed no signs of his surgically-repaired foot being an issue last season, yet he still caught just 39 passes in 15 games. When Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods were both on the field, Watkins was no better than Jared Goff’s third option.
If the Rams were willing to pay Watkins like a No. 1 wide receiver, they probably would have used the franchise tag on him. Some team likely will want to give him that kind of money, and Watkins indicated he was unhappy with his role in L.A. during the 2017 season. An extension with the Rams is possible, but it seems like a long shot.
