Rams caused Robert Woods to miss a bonus, so they made it up to him
For the Los Angeles Rams, it was worth $200,000 to keep one of their best players happy.
The Rams decided to rest their starters in Week 17 last season. That’s pretty common, but it was a tough blow for receiver Robert Woods. He had an incentive in his contract that pushed a bonus from $400,000 to $600,000 if he reached 800 receiving yards. Woods finished the season with 781.
The Rams paid Woods anyway, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. They renegotiated a roster bonus to add $200,019 to it. The extra $19 was to signify the 19 yards he needed to reach the bonus, Yates said.
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The Rams didn’t have to essentially pay the bonus anyway, but teams don’t want to seem like they’re obstructing players from reaching bonuses based on lineup decisions. That’s especially true for someone like Woods, who signed with the Rams last season and had a very nice season as the Rams won the NFC West. Keeping Woods happy was more important than pocketing the money. It’s also a good message to put out to potential free agents looking to sign with the Rams.
There were a lot of good vibes for the Rams last season, in coach Sean McVay’s first season. Paying Woods $200,000 he probably would have earned anyway might seem like a small thing for an NFL team, but it’s valuable goodwill.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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