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Rams should prioritize Coleman Shelton's contract with center market inflating
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- Rams should prioritize Coleman Shelton's contract with center market inflating
The Los Angeles Rams have a variety of looming contract questions that they will have to answer in the coming months as veteran players and their star-studded 2023 draft class approach the final year of their contracts. Names like Davante Adams , Puka Nacua , and Byron Young dominate the long list, but there's one name in particular whose extension must be prioritized by the franchise.
That player is center Coleman Shelton . The underrated engine of the Rams' league-leading offense, he is the trusted second-in-command for the unit, and with such an unstable financial market for the position, the team can not let Shelton enter free agency because he will certainly be sought after.
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Kevin Dotson called Shelton the "QB2" of their offense, which is one of the more complex systems in the NFL. And the Rams already showed everyone what the offense looks like without Shelton. Dare we mention the 2024 season?
On top of that, the center market is outrageous, and the price is only going up after Tyler Linderbaum signed a ridiculous deal with the Las Vegas Raiders for three years and $81 million in free agency. That's record-setting money at an average annual value of $27 million, which has ballooned the market.
On Tuesday, the Cardinals handed center Hjalte Froholdt an extension, taking his average annual value from $6 million to $10 million per year. Shelton's current salary is $6 million per year.
Shelton is 31, playing some of the best ball of his career, and his current situation in Los Angeles is a player's envy. There's more than enough to keep Shelton running the show, especially as Steve Avila , Kevin Dotson, and Warren McClendon are on expiring contracts.
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The team already gave Matthew Stafford an extension; logic dictates that his most trusted producers should follow suit. All I'm going to say is Shelton would've picked up the block against Jalen Carter in the playoff game against the Eagles, and thus, Stafford would've hit Puka Nacua in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown.
Do the Rams really want to take that risk again, considering they've fallen one play short of a championship in two straight seasons?
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams should prioritize Coleman Shelton's contract with center market inflating
