Puka Nacua and Kobie Turner make sense for Rams to extend next year
The Dallas Cowboys signed defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa to a four-year, $80 million contract on Tuesday, which is potentially a lot more than non-Cowboys fans expected. If you’ve even heard of Odighizuwa before.
The extension is a reminder of how much pricier starters have become in the last decade, so if Odighizuwa is a $20 million per year defensive tackle, how much does that mean Kobie Turner will make on his next contract?
Probably a lot more.
Cowboys and DT Osa Odighizuwa reached agreement today on a four-year, $80 million deal that includes $58 million guaranteed and a $20 million signing bonus.
Odighizuwa’s agent Sam Leaf Ireifej negotiated and confirmed the deal. pic.twitter.com/G96RihxqFQ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 4, 2025
The Rams will have a few key players who are extension eligible in 2026, which is probably why L.A. is going “year to year” with Matthew Stafford and preparing to part ways with Cooper Kupp, unless he takes a massive pay cut.
Though the Rams are scheduled to pay Stafford $31 million of new money in 2026, and Kupp $20 million, and Jonah Jackson $17 million, and Darious Williams $7 million, the reality is that those players probably won’t be here in a year (or in a month) with the exception of Stafford.
If the Rams cut Kupp, Jackson, and Williams, they will only have about $140 million in commitments left with a salary cap expected to be around $300 million. This is what that would look like:
Obviously, the Rams will have to sign new players to contracts this year, so they won’t have $154 million in cap space when we get to 2026.
But they could have a lot of cap space.
Then in 2027, there is not a single veteran signed to the Rams roster. Not one. Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Kevin Dotson, and Stafford will all have their contracts expire by 2027. That means that the Rams have a ton of cap space post-2026.
But that won’t last long because they have a laundry list of massive extensions that they need to hand out in the next few years, starting in 2026 and continuing through 2028.
Here are the players who will be eligible for the first time in 2026:
WR Puka Nacua
If situations with Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are any indication, Nacua will wait until after his fourth or fifth or potentially even sixth year before signing an extension. Is that a good idea though?
Nacua’s tough, physical style lends to more injuries and he might want to get a lump sum of guaranteed money as soon as he is eligible. Plus, he was a fifth rounder, so Nacua’s not making very much money until he signs an extension. The Lions did this for Amon-Ra St. Brown, another day three pick who has starred in the league since day one, so we should expect something similar.
It would be surprising if Nacua didn’t sign an extension in 2026.
It’s hard to guess how much receiver prices will go up by then, but the top of the market right now is $35 million with Justin Jefferson. Chase is said to be seeking $40 million per year. A four-year, $140 million contract for Nacua could be in the cards.
DT Kobie Turner
With 17 sacks in his first two seasons, Turner could be the second most valuable player in L.A.’s 2023 draft class, and defensive tackles are making up to $31.7 million (Chris Jones). Turner could see Nnamdi Madubuike’s $24.5 million and believe he’s worth more than that, and why not?
Turner is another player who would like to get paid sooner than later because he was a third round pick, but he might hold off until after four seasons, like Madubuike did. The difference is Turner proved special much sooner than Madubuike did.
A four-year, $112 million contract (a little more than Christian Wilkins) could be his target number.
C Steve Avila
It’s much easier to see Avila as somebody who won’t be extended until after his fourth season. He could be an anchor for the offensive line for a long time to come, but he was shifted around a bit last year as the team tried to figure out what to do with Jonah Jackson.
Nobody can really say yet if Avila is a special, top-tier contract center or someone who fits snuggly in the 5-10 range.
OLB Byron Young
Young is another player who has been really good, but could end up being a lot better than he’s been so far. Or regress. Who knows? We should think Young isn’t extended in 2026 and the team waits to see what his value is by 2027. Could he even be a franchise tag candidate?
The next possible extension target from this draft class would be punter Ethan Evans. Others, like Davis Allen, Desjuan Johnson, and Warren McClendon, have a ways to go to prove themselves.
The rookie class of 2024 obviously has two more seasons to go before they are extension eligible, but they still have to be on Les Snead’s mind in 2027 and 2028 when he’s making deals in 2025 and 2026.