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In the last several years, the Los Angeles Rams went from paying top dollar for several veterans to reinvesting through the draft where they’ve found young starters at a number of positions. Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Kyren Williams have all become cornerstone players for Los Angeles, and the best part is they’re still on rookie contracts.
That means they’re on team-friendly deals, allowing the Rams to spend on players such as Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams and Alaric Jackson. The bill will come due eventually, but right now, Nacua and Verse are two of the biggest bargains in football.
CBS Sports assembled an All-Bargain Team for 2025 based on Pete Prisco’s top 100 players and both Nacua and Verse were selected at their respective positions. Nacua’s cap hit of $1.1 million is an absolute steal considering he’s already one of the best receivers in football.
Nacua was a Day 3 flyer by the Rams in the 2023 draft, arriving in the fifth round. Accordingly, his rookie deal is ridiculously affordable considering the workload he’s earned in Los Angeles. Injuries limited the rugged BYU product to 11 games in Year 2, but he’s been an absolute target machine for Matthew Stafford when on the field, racking up 184 catches and nearly 2,500 yards in his first two NFL seasons.
Verse’s cap hit is just $3.4 million in Year 2, which is also an incredible value for a Defensive Player of the Year candidate. He was in the company of Aidan Hutchinson, Jalen Carter and Leonard Williams on the All-Bargain Team, owning by far the lowest cap hit of them all.
The Florida State product’s 2024 sack total wasn’t gaudy (4.5), but his presence was always felt on the Rams’ youthful front, hence his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. That already makes him a steal on a rookie deal, and odds are, with another offseason in the books, suiting up next to fellow youngsters Braden Fiske, Byron Young and Kobie Turner, Verse will easily increase his own sack total in Year 2.
Nacua, Young, Turner and Steve Avila will all be eligible for extensions next offseason, though their contracts run through the 2026 season. The Rams could sign them before their deals expire but it could be hard to sign all four in the same offseason.
As a first-round pick, Verse’s contract comes with a fifth-year option in 2028, giving the Rams five years of control financially – though he’ll certainly seek an extension before the 2028 season.
For now, they’re two of the biggest bargains in football, as are Turner and Young.
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