The Los Angeles Rams officially locked up left tackle Alaric Jackson to an extension this week, signing the former Iowa Hawkeye to a three-year deal worth $19M APY with $35M guaranteed.
It’s difficult to overstate just how important it is for the Rams to get this extension done. Not only does it keep an ascending player in Los Angeles for the foreseeable future, but it also opens up more flexibility for the Rams to attack the 2025 NFL Draft.
If they couldn’t find a way to extend Jackson, then they would have had both tackle spots lack a long-term solution there and little options to fill that void in free agency. They would have had to find a way to select an offensive tackle in the first round of the 2025 draft, and there’s no guarantee they would have had one available at pick 26, given the premium on the position.
However, now that Jackson is under contract, the possibilities remain wide open for that pick. They don’t have to stress about potentially losing out on a top offensive tackle and can keep their options wide open for that pick.
A wide receiver or cornerback feels much likelier than it did just a week ago at 26th overall. The team could still select an offensive tackle, of course, given Rob Havenstein’s long-term question marks, but they no longer have to now with both tackles under contract for at least the next year.
My preferred option, depending on who is on the board at 26, would be to trade down from that pick. The Rams don’t have a second-round pick and wouldn’t pick again until pick 90. With how much talent is jammed in that 20-75 range of picks in this year’s draft, getting a chance to have multiple swings in this group would be the most ideal option.
It was smart for the Rams to retain Alaric Jackson for pure on-field reasons, but the domino effect of this extension feeding into their 2025 NFL Draft strategy is a huge win for the team this offseason.