Leonard Floyd's change of scenery did him plenty of good in 2020, and he's being paid accordingly.
The edge rusher has agreed to terms on a four-year deal to remain with the Rams, the team announced Monday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Floyd's new deal with Los Angeles is worth $16 million per year, meaning he'll be paid $64 million over the course of the contract.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero provided a breakdown of the deal on Wednesday: Floyd will earn a $14 million signing bonus with a $2 million salary in 2021 (fully guaranteed), $16.5 million salary in 2022 (fully guaranteed), $15.5 million salary in 2023 and $16 million salary in 2024.
Floyd was largely underwhelming during his time with the Chicago Bears, who spent the ninth-overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft on him, but never saw the return they anticipated, declining his fifth-year option and allowing him to walk west after the 2019 season. The Rams ended up ecstatic that the Bears let him go, because Floyd turned into an edge-rushing monster in his first season in Los Angeles, recording a career-high 10.5 sacks, 55 tackles (11 for loss), and a forced fumble in 16 games, helping the Rams to a No. 1 finish in yards allowed per game and No. 2 ranking in sacks with 53.
Floyd's breakout campaign landed him 24th on Gregg Rosenthal's Top 101 Free Agents list, with Rosenthal calling Floyd a "relatively safe pickup."
In a transformation similar to that of Dante Fowler, Floyd's new home allowed him to blossom. A year after Fowler fetched a three-year deal at $15 million per year with Atlanta, Floyd earns a slightly better contract to stay in Southern California. Now, the Rams are hoping that's just the first bit of a beautiful future with Floyd remaining on the same defensive front as all-world tackle Aaron Donald.
Time will tell whether the money -- which places Floyd among the likes of Melvin Ingram, Chandler Jones, and Za'Darius Smith in annual average salary -- is worth it, but as long as Floyd remains out there with Donald and the Rams' new defense doesn't tear down what had been built up by the since-departed Brandon Staley, it's a logical move.
