Rams to release sack leader Leonard Floyd to reduce salary-cap problems

The Rams, in another major move to cut costs, plan to release edge rusher Leonard Floyd on Friday, people with knowledge of the situation said.

The people requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about a transaction that was not completed.

The salary cap for the 2023 season is $224.8 million. The Rams currently are about $16 million over the cap, according to overthecap.com.

In March 2021, Floyd signed a four-year contract that included $32.5 million in guarantees. Floyd, 30, is scheduled to carry a salary-cap number of $22 million in the upcoming season, according to the website.

Releasing Floyd before June 1 saves the Rams $3 million in cap space, but it comes with a $19-million hit against the salary cap, according to the website.

Floyd would be the second premium defensive player to be released by the Rams since they ended the season with a 5-12 record, the worst performance by a defending Super Bowl champion in NFL history.

On Feb. 23, the Rams and veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner agreed to part ways. Wagner’s release saves $5 million, though it also results in $7.5 million in salary-cap money.

Floyd, selected ninth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2016 draft, signed with the Rams in 2020. He had a career-best 10½ sacks in 2020, 9½ sacks in 2021 and nine sacks last season.

The Rams are exploring trading star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is due to carry a salary-cap number of $25.2 million, and receiver Allen Robinson, who has a cap number of just more than $18 million.

General manager Les Snead on Thursday declined to confirm whether Floyd, Ramsey and Robinson would be traded or released.

During a videoconference Friday morning, coach Sean McVay stayed on script.

“Those are all fluid situations,” he said. “We’ve had dialogue with those guys about, you know, what the possibilities are.

“You want to keep some of those conversations in-house, but you also don’t want people getting caught off guard.”